SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 7 -- A scientist at Utah State University (USU) is taking the blame for the recent failure of an $80 million NASA satellite mission. NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Explorer satellite, which carried a USU-built telescope on a four-month mission to study how stars and galaxies evolved, spun out of control shortly after its March 4 launch off the California coast. Harry Ames of the school's Space Dynamics Laboratory said engineers have determined the cause of the satellite's failure. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, an unexpected power surge from a $2000 electronic...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics Media