Thursday, September 22, 2011

AO-51 Struggling to Stay Alive


AO-51 prior to launch (AMSAT photo)
AMSAT-OSCAR 51 has lost one of the six cells in its battery and it appears that a second cell may be fading. As of late August, the AMSAT News Service reported, ground controllers were managing to keep basic functions operating but feared that if the second cell in the battery failed, "the mission might be considered over."