Ulysses spacecraft officially retired today!

It's the spacecraft that just wouldn't quit... or at least it seemed that way. Launched in 1991 , the Ulysses spacecraft studied the Sun while orbiting above and below its North and South Poles at the distance of half a billion miles from the Sun.

Exceeding all expectations by surviving for eighteen and a half years, Ulysses spacecraft has been slowly dying due to a lack of power to keep the spacecraft warm and functional. Today, Ulysses will finally be switched off. A live webcast of the final communication with the spacecraft, will occur today starting at 11:35 AM Eastern Daylight Time and go until 3:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Even if you miss the live broadcast, there's still tons to see on the European Space Agency livestream channel.