At that time, NASA said the most likely explanation of the failure was due to an induced “instant trip” of the solid-state power controller supplying power to the transponder. Earlier this month, an amateur astronomer called Scott Tilley wrote on his blog that he picked up a signal from a satellite labeled “2000-017A, 26113” which he knew corresponded to the IMAGE satellite.
NASA said it has acquired time on the Deep Space Network to focus on the source and determine whether the signal is indeed IMAGE. “This process must take into consideration the vintage nature of the spacecraft, and includes locating appropriate software and commands to potentially operate the mission,” the US space agency added.
If IMAGE is revived, its orbit will be well positioned to monitor Earth’s northern auroral zone, said Patricia Reiff, a space plasma physicist at Rice University who was also a co-investigator on the mission. “It is really invaluable for now-casting space weather and really understanding the global response of the magnetosphere to solar storms,” Reiff added.
