Ultraviolet Explorer receives final command

17 Jun 2002

After nearly 19 years of operation, the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spacecraft will receive its final "shutdown" -- marking the end of one of the longest and most productive missions in the history of space science.

Originally designed for a three-year life, the observatory and its spectrographic instruments enable studies of astronomical and cosmic phenomena that emit ultraviolet radiation, which is blocked from ground-based telescopes by Earth's atmosphere. IUE has been controlled from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for the past two decades.

IUE has contributed to many branches of astronomical research over the years, ranging from studies of objects in the Solar System to observations of distant galaxies. This includes the historic first identification of the star that exploded and became known as Supernova 1987A. Recently IUE provided new insights into the chemical processes taking place inside Comet Hyakutake. The comet was found to be ejecting ten tons of water every second as it passed near the Sun.