This artists concept illustrates NASAs Voyager 1 spacecraft going into interstellar area, or the area in between stars. Following a computer problem, Voyager 1 is back to transferring clinical data, with further instrument recalibrations expected quickly. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechVoyager 1, after conquering a computer system problem, has resumed sending out scientific data from 2 of its instruments, with plans to recalibrate the remaining two quickly. This marks considerable development in bring back the spacecraft, which is over 15 billion miles from Earth and needs over 22 hours for interactions to travel one way.NASAs Voyager 1 has resumed returning science information from two of its 4 instruments for the first time since a computer problem developed with the spacecraft in November 2023. The objectives science instrument teams are now determining actions to recalibrate the remaining 2 instruments, which will likely happen in the coming weeks. The accomplishment marks considerable progress towards bring back the spacecraft to regular operations.Progress in TroubleshootingIn April, after five months of repairing since the initial computer problem, the objective was able to get the spacecraft to begin returning usable engineering data about the health and status of its onboard systems, consisting of the science instruments. On May 17, the group sent commands to the 46-year-old spacecraft that enabled it to resume sending science data to Earth. With Voyager 1 located more than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) from its home planet, it takes light over 22 1/2 hours to reach the spacecraft, and 22 1/2 hours for a signal to return to Earth. As a result, the group needed to wait almost two days to see if their commands were successful.Instruments Begin Data ReturnThe plasma wave subsystem and magnetometer instrument are now returning functional science information. As part of the effort to bring back Voyager 1 to regular operations, the mission is continuing deal with the cosmic ray subsystem and low energy charged particle instrument. (Six extra instruments aboard Voyager 1 are either no longer working or were turned off after the probes flyby of Saturn.)When Voyager 1 began sending out a signal back to Earth that contained no science or engineering data, detecting Communication IssuesNormal operations were disrupted last year. The group ultimately figured out the concern came from a small portion of corrupted memory in the flight information subsystem, one of the spacecrafts three computer systems. Amongst other things, this system is designed to package data from the science instruments as well as engineering information about the health and status of the spacecraft before that info is sent out to Earth.Longstanding Exploration AchievementsLaunched in 1977, Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, will celebrate 47 years of operations later this year. They are NASAs longest-operating spacecraft along with the very first and only spacecraft to explore outside the heliosphere. Created by the Sun, this bubble of magnetic fields and solar wind presses versus the interstellar medium, an ocean of particles developed by stars that have taken off elsewhere in the Milky Way galaxy. Both probes flew previous Jupiter and Saturn, while Voyager 2 likewise flew past Uranus and Neptune.
The accomplishment marks significant development towards restoring the spacecraft to typical operations.Progress in TroubleshootingIn April, after 5 months of fixing since the initial computer system concern, the mission was able to get the spacecraft to begin returning usable engineering information about the health and status of its onboard systems, including the science instruments. Among other things, this system is developed to package information from the science instruments as well as engineering data about the health and status of the spacecraft before that details is sent to Earth.Longstanding Exploration AchievementsLaunched in 1977, Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, will commemorate 47 years of operations later on this year. They are NASAs longest-operating spacecraft as well as the very first and just spacecraft to check out outside the heliosphere.
