Deep Space 1, an experimental NASA probe aimed at a distant asteroid, finally
got going last week after an inauspicious start. Last month its xenon ion
propulsion drive failed only four and a half minutes after being turned on.
Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena suspect that metallic
debris contaminated the drive, causing it to shut down automatically. Whatever
the problem, the drive now seems to be working normally.
More from 51¶¯Âþ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 51¶¯Âþ articles
1
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
2
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
3
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
4
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
5
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
6
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
7
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
8
Women’s better memories may delay Alzheimer’s diagnosis by years
9
The 3 things you need to know about protein, according to an expert
10
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
