VOA Special English
NASA Finds ‘Lost’ Spacecraft

    2016/8/25

    The American space agency, NASA says it has again made contact with a spacecraft studying the sun and space weather.

    NASA said it lost contact with the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories, also known as the STEREO-B spacecraft, two years ago.

    Communications with the spacecraft were lost after NASA attempted to try to prevent overheating of the spaceship’s antenna.

    After two years of silence, NASA says it has reconnected with the lost space probe, STEREO-B.
    After two years of silence, NASA says it has reconnected with the lost space probe, STEREO-B.

    The space agency said contact with STEREO-B was restored last week.

    NASA has another spacecraft that is nearly identical to STEREO-B called STEREO-A. It also was launched in 2006 to study the sun and space weather. STEREO-A is working normally.

    NASA said it will now test STEREO-B to see if the spacecraft’s instruments and sensors are operating correctly.

    Both spacecraft are located on the other side of the sun from earth.

    NASA says they have added to the understanding of how the sun works. The ships have studied the sun’s gasses, wind, particles and its atmosphere.

    I’m John Russell.

    The staff at VOA News wrote this story. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

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    Words in This Story

    spacecraftn. a vehicle that is used for travel in outer space

    overheatingv. becoming too hot

    antennan. a device such as a wire or a metal rod for sending or receiving radio or television signals

    sensors –n. a device that detects or senses heat, light, sound or motion and then reacts to it in a particular way