A team of hackers got the go-ahead from NASA to attempt to contact and “reawaken” a long-decommissioned satellite, funding the mission with crowdsourced money. So far, so good. From the Economist:

“It appears to have survived unscathed the long occupancy of the orbit in which it was parked. However, celestial mechanics have put the satellite about 250,000km off from where it was expected. Mr Cowing and his colleagues are slightly worried that it may bash into the moon or wander too close to Earth. The craft has antennas measuring 30 metres and extending in four directions, which at a certain altitude above Earth could cause problems. ‘It’s a 360-foot spinning cookie cutter,’ says Mr Cowing.

That the reboot project has got that far is remarkable. Unable to receive a clear go-ahead or an outright no from NASA a few months ago, it set out to raise funds hoping that this might prompt the space agency to acquiesce. It is the first time in NASA’s history that operational control has been handed over, and NASA made the announcement on May 23rd with due fanfare.

With the original software, computers or telecoms gear long gone, the team—with the help of some original mission members and others in and out of NASA who knew where to find the old manuals—recreated the equipment, including a software-defined radio system that allows talking and listening to the satellite. The Arecibo Observatory also provided help: it installed gear purchased by the Reboot Project and allowed it to use Arecibo’s huge satellite dish free during downtimes. The team faced downpours of rain and even an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 while one of the volunteers worked near the dish.’

Much remains to be determined. Mr [Keith] Cowing and his colleagues have yet to decide whether the satellite is to explore more comets or to use it for other purposes.”