A group of citizen scientists will attempt to recapture a decommissioned satellite that will fly by Earth in August, NASA announced on Wednesday (May 21).

The International Sun/Earth Explorer-3, known as ISEE-3, was launched in 1978 to study how the earth's magnetic field interacts with charged particles emitted from the sun. The probe was later commissioned to chase the Halley's Comet as it passed the earth in March 1986. NASA then continued to use the satellite to study coronal mass ejections until 1997, after which it was sent into a disposal orbit.

Now, citizen scientists will attempt to make contact with the spacecraft as it flies by the earth in August, commanding it to enter Earth's orbit before sending it back out to study comets. "If we are successful it may also still be able to chase yet another comet," Keith Cowing, a former NASA engineer who operates the NASA Watch Website, said in a Sydney Morning Herald report.

With permission from NASA, California company Skycorp will work with the team to contact and command the satellite. This marks the first time NASA has signed an agreement to turn over one of its decommissioned probes for private use.

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