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To Save A Satellite, Former NASA Guy Takes Crowdfunding To Space

An artist's rendering depicts the satellite ISEE-3/ICE during its planned lunar fly-by in August 2014.
Mark Maxwell
/
Courtesy ISEE-3 Reboot Project
An artist's rendering depicts the satellite ISEE-3/ICE during its planned lunar fly-by in August 2014.

Keith Cowing discusses his campaign to save an old 1970s NASA spacecraft from becoming space junk. ISEE-3/ICE is a satellite that was once used to monitor space weather, but it's been unused for decades. NASA doesn't want to spend the money to bring it back to life, but Cowing and his colleagues are determined to do it. If they can raise $125,000 on a crowdfunding site called RocketHub, Cowing says they'll contact ISEE-3/ICE, wake it up and put it back to good use.

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This story was compiled from reports by NPR News staff.

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