Ulysses to end its 18-year space mission

Orbiter taught more than expected about sun, its interaction with spaceAfter more than 18 years of dedicated service, the solar orbiter Ulysses is due to end its tenure June 30.The joint ESA/NASA spacecraft will finally switch off its transmitter, after defying several earlier expectations of its demise.Ulysses is the first spacecraft to survey the environment in space above and below the poles