Voyager 1's journey continues as NASA restores contact
Voyager 1, the human-engineered machine farthest from Earth, has been exploring the cosmos for nearly 50 years. For a month, NASA had no contact with the probe. Fortunately, despite the issues, communication has been restored. Voyager 1 is operating normally, even though it is over 14.5 billion kilometres from Earth.
As reported by CNN, NASA engineers have successfully restored contact with the Voyager 1 probe. It is currently operating normally, although recent problems caused a communication interruption lasting several weeks. Everything began in October when the probe automatically switched from the main X-band transmitter to the weaker S-band transmitter. Voyager 1, the most distant machine from Earth created by human hands, is currently exploring uncharted territories about 15.4 billion kilometres from our planet.
Voyager 1: NASA has restored communication
CNN reports that the probe autonomously changed the transmitter when its computer realised it had too little power after receiving a command to turn on one of the heaters. The unexpected change prevented engineers from receiving data about the status of Voyager 1 and scientific data for almost a month. After resolving the issue, the team managed to restore the X-band transmitter and resume data reception in mid-November.
Let us recall that Voyager 1 and its "twin" Voyager 2, launched in 1977, have been operating far longer than planned. They are currently in interstellar space, beyond the heliosphere. Both probes are powered by heat from the decay of plutonium, which is converted into electrical energy. Each year, they lose about 4 watts of power, comparable to a small energy-saving bulb.
The mission team has been turning off non-essential systems for the past five years. Despite this, all scientific instruments are operational, even at lower temperatures than those they were originally tested in.
The probes were never really designed to be operated like this and the team is learning new things day by day - admitted Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at NASA.
Sometimes engineers send commands to Voyager 1 to turn on some heaters to warm components damaged by radiation.
What's next for the Voyager mission?
The latest power issues show that the probe's future is more uncertain than previously thought. The mission team uses computer models to predict energy consumption for heaters and instruments, but the margin of error is small. Earlier this year, the team decided to use a power reserve to keep the scientific instruments running as long as possible.
We’ve known that power is running out (on board) both Voyagers for some time. This year it forced the mission to turn off a science instrument on Voyager 2. But these probes have lasted so much longer than anyone anticipated they would, and it’s amazing that we’re squeezing every last bit of power (and science!) out of them - admitted Badaruddin, quoted by CNN.
Voyager 1 and 2 started their mission with 10 scientific instruments each. Currently, only four are operating on each probe, studying plasma, magnetic fields, and particles in interstellar space. Data is transmitted through the Deep Space Network, and each data transmission from the probes takes between 6 to 8 hours a day. Although their energy is depleting, the mission remains focused on long-term observations, which are of enormous scientific significance. The team aims to maintain enough energy for the instruments on board the Voyagers to operate as long as possible. Initially, their mission was to last four years. It may be possible to extend it even to 2030.
