SAN FRANCISCO — A NASA space-based telescope that has been gathering imagery of comets, asteroids and distant galaxies since it was launched in December received a last-minute reprieve in late September. Just as the hydrogen used to cool the detectors on the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) ran out, the space agency’s Planetary Division stepped forward with $400,000 to continue the mission, albeit in a limited manner, for one month, said NASA spokesman J.D. Harrington.

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Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco. Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is a recipient...