
So long, Gaia: Europe officially retires prolific star-mapping space telescope
[ad_1] Europe’s star-mapping Gaia space observatory has entered its final orbit, after gathering valuable cosmic data for more than a decade. The spacecraft’s control team at the European Space Operations Centre in Paris switched off Gaia‘s subsystems today (March 27) and sent the venerable craft into a safe “retirement orbit.” “We will never forget Gaia,…