Space Telescope Reawakened for an Asteroid Hunt
16:55 minutes
After the WISE telescope used up the coolant needed to operate its detectors, its primary mission as an infrared survey telescope ended. NASA’s Amy Mainzer describes how the agency is repurposing the dormant craft for a new three-year mission looking for near-Earth asteroids. Astronomer Brett Gladman also discusses a newly spotted asteroid-like object leading Uranus.
Segment Guests
Amy Mainzer
Amy Mainzer is principal investigator of the NEOWISE Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasedena, California.
Brett Gladman
Brett Gladman is a professor in the department of astronomy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Related Links
Meet the Producer
About Charles Bergquist
@cbquistAs Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.