NASA's Swift Observatory doomed to burn up as rescue mission fails

NASA's Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, is set to reenter Earth's atmosphere and burn up. The spacecraft, which has provided critical data on gamma-ray bursts, is losing altitude due to atmospheric drag. A failed rescue mission aimed to boost it back to a safer orbit, leaving it doomed. The observatory is expected to reenter before the end of the year, and while other instruments can perform some of its functions, the loss of Swift will degrade gamma-ray science.