NEW YORK: A NASA satellite launched seven months ago has lost use of one of two science instruments, but the agency says the mission to map global soil moisture will continue.
NASA said Wednesday that its radar stopped transmitting on July 7 because of an amplifier problem, and an anomaly team was formed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory to determine if it could be restored.
An attempt to power up the radar on Aug. 24 was unsuccessful, and it was determined that it was not recoverable.
The satellite – dubbed Soil Moisture Active Passive – was launched on Jan. 31. Science operations began in April, and it collected nearly three months of data with the radar.
NASA says some applications of data will be affected, but the satellite will still produce valuable science.
http://www.financialexpress.com/article/lifestyle/science/new-nasa-soil-moisture-satellite-loses-science-instrument/129774/
