Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The runaway satellite-on-a-rope fell silent and became just another piece of space junk Friday when its batteries finally died.

The Italian-made satellite held out long enough to send back science data during a close pass by the space shuttle Columbia and its somber crew.

Italian astronaut and astrophysicist Umberto Guidoni, who had devoted nearly 10 years to the project, wiped his eyes during a conversation with the Italian Space Agency chief, who had telephoned to offer his condolences.

Columbia's other Italian crewman, Maurizio Cheli, said: "Every time I turn around and I look through the window and I see this empty cargo bay, it is like part of myself has left."

Columbia passed within 53 miles of the satellite and its 12 miles of dangling cord early Friday before drawing apart again. It was their closest approach since Sunday, when the American-made electrical cable between them snapped.

There was no way for Columbia and the seven astronauts to get closer, let alone grab the satellite, because of their different orbital paths and limited fuel in the shuttle.

At the moment of closest approach, the astronauts could not see the satellite because the two craft were on the dark side of Earth. But they spotted it before then and afterward, as the satellite moved into sunlight.

Both the satellite and cord glowed.

"It's beautiful," said astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz.

The astronauts aimed cameras at the satellite and beamed down stunning video images until it disappeared into nothingness at a distance of about 140 miles.

They also fired electron guns aboard Columbia to gauge the effects of the ensuing electric waves on the satellite.

Seven or so hours after the close approach, long after scientists expected, the satellite batteries went dead, radio contact ceased and the $400 million-plus experiment came to an end.

"We joked that it's like the Energizer bunny -- it just kept on going," said Nobie Stone, a NASA scientist on the ground. "So we're very grateful that we were able to get these additional experiments done. The satellite has served its purpose and it's served it well."

The satellite and tether will keep orbiting, gradually getting lower, until Earth's gravity pulls it down through the atmosphere in a fiery demise. NASA expects that to occur in two to three weeks.

Before the experiment went awry, the satellite and its cord were used to generate electricity as they swept through Earth's magnetic field. Tethered satellites could someday be used to power spacecraft, lower probes into the atmosphere and drop packages to Earth.

Stone said it's difficult to say when -- or if -- another space tether will fly.

"We've seen a glimpse of what this system is capable of doing, and it's really made us interested in pursuing it further," he said.

During his call to the shuttle, Italian Space Agency chief Silvano Casini tried to console the two Italian astronauts.

"The Italian Space Agency is behind you, and the whole space agency was following you," Casini said. "I can assure you it was like being at the stadium. Everybody was cheering (during the successful portions of the flight), and this should compensate for the sorrow of losing the satellite."