An old McDonald's in Mountain View, Calif., has become the base of operations for a mission to revive a retired satellite.
A team of civilians led by former NASA employee Keith Cowing are using the satellite, called ISEE-3, marking the first time an external organization has taken control of a spacecraft, according to MTV.com. The team is running their new base called "McMoons," by making use of unique equipment such as an old flat screen TV and radio parts.
"If I could come up with another absurd detail, I would," Cowing said. "Space people have a sort of arrogance. I used to be that way, but now I'm revolted by the thought that people without a pocket protector and calculator feel like they can't be involved."
When the team asked NASA if they could resurrect ISEE-3, the space agency not only gave them permission, but also asked the team if they needed help getting the satellite up and running again, CNET reported.
The abandoned fast food restaurant was chosen for the project due to its close proximity to the Ames Research Center in Mountain View.
In the past, the satellite was used by NASA for measuring different factors of weather in space, such as solar wind, and also orbited the moon. MTV reported the device also flew through the tail of a comet. However, it was retired over 30 years ago when NASA decided to use younger satellites instead.
A website called RocketHub was used by the team to crowdfund the $125,000 they needed to get ISEE-3 back up in space. With massive support from the civilian astronomy community, the team managed to raise $160,000 for the project. The satellite was launched on its very first "Interplanetary Citizen Science Mission" on Sunday, and is available for anyone to watch live as it floats in space, collecting a different information about weather.
The project is also open for anyone in the public to make additions or changes to the collected data, with the team calling the ISEE-3 "A Spacecraft For All," CNET reported.
"We're allowing anybody who is interested and has a computer to be able to do something with the data," Cowing said.
