One effort addresses fuel residue that seems to be collecting inside narrow tubes in a few of the thrusters on the spacecraft. The thrusters are used to keep each spacecrafts antenna pointed at Earth. This kind of accumulation has been observed in a handful of other spacecraft.
The group is likewise uploading a software patch to avoid the reoccurrence of a glitch that occurred on Voyager 1 in 2015. Engineers dealt with the glitch, and the spot is intended to prevent the concern from taking place once again in Voyager 1 or emerging in its twin, Voyager 2.
Thruster Buildup
The thrusters on Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are mainly used to keep the spacecraft antennas pointed at Earth in order to interact. Spacecraft can turn in 3 directions– up and down, to the left and right, and around the central axis, like a wheel. As they do this, the thrusters immediately fire and reorient the spacecraft to keep their antennas pointed at Earth.
Propellant streams to the thrusters through fuel lines and then passes through smaller sized lines inside the thrusters called propellant inlet tubes that are 25 times narrower than the external fuel lines. To slow that buildup, the objective has actually started letting the two spacecraft turn somewhat farther in each direction before shooting the thrusters.
The adjustments to the thruster rotation variety were made by commands sent in September and October, and they permit the spacecraft to move nearly 1 degree farther in each direction than in the past. The mission is also carrying out fewer, longer firings, which will even more lower the overall number of shootings done on each spacecraft.
The adjustments have been thoroughly designed to make sure minimal influence on the mission. While more rotating by the spacecraft could mean bits of science data are sometimes lost– akin to being on a call where the individual on the other end cuts out occasionally– the team concluded the strategy will enable the Voyagers to return more information over time.
Engineers cant know for sure when the thruster propellant inlet tubes will end up being completely obstructed, however they anticipate that with these preventative measures, that will not occur for a minimum of five more years, potentially much longer. The team can take extra actions in the coming years to extend the lifetime of the thrusters much more.
” This far into the mission, the engineering group is being faced with a great deal of obstacles for which we just dont have a playbook,” said Linda Spilker, task researcher for the objective as NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “But they continue to develop imaginative options.”
Patching Things Up
In 2022, the onboard computer system that orients the Voyager 1 spacecraft with Earth started to send back garbled status reports, despite otherwise continuing to operate normally. It took mission engineers months to determine the problem.
The group identified the AACS had participated in an incorrect mode; nevertheless, they could not figure out the cause and thus arent sure if the problem might develop again. The software patch need to avoid that.
” This spot resembles an insurance coverage policy that will secure us in the future and help us keep these probes going as long as possible,” stated JPLs Suzanne Dodd, Voyager job supervisor. “These are the only spacecraft to ever operate in interstellar area, so the information theyre sending out back is uniquely important to our understanding of our regional universe.”
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have actually taken a trip more than 15 billion and 12 billion miles from Earth, respectively. At those distances, the patch guidelines will take control of 18 hours to travel to the spacecraft. Since of the spacecrafts age and the interaction lag time, theres some threat the patch might overwrite vital code or have other unintentional effects on the spacecraft. To minimize those threats, the team has actually spent months writing, reviewing, and examining the code. As an included security preventative measure, Voyager 2 will receive the patch initially and function as a testbed for its twin. Voyager 1 is farther from Earth than any other spacecraft, making its data more valuable.
The team will submit the patch and do a readout of the AACS memory to make sure its in the ideal place on Friday, October 20. If no instant concerns develop, the team will release a command on Saturday, October 28, to see if the patch is operating as it should.
More About the Voyager Mission
The mission was later extended for Voyager 2 to check out Uranus and Neptune, marking its special journey to the ice giants. Voyager 1 achieved this milestone in 2012, followed by Voyager 2 in 2018.
JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, is accountable for the building and construction and operation of the Voyager spacecraft. The Voyager missions operate under the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory.
NASAs Voyager 1 spacecraft is portrayed in this artists idea traveling through interstellar space, or the area between stars, which it entered in 2012. Traveling on a different trajectory, its twin, Voyager 2, went into interstellar space in 2018. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASAs Voyager mission team is addressing difficulties to guarantee prolonged functionality of the 2 spacecraft. Theyre alleviating thruster fuel residue concerns and carrying out a software patch to rectify a previous Voyager 1 glitch.
The efforts need to help extend the lifetimes of the agencys interstellar explorers.
Engineers for NASAs Voyager mission are taking steps to help make certain both spacecraft, launched in 1977, continue to explore interstellar space for years to come.
NASAs Voyager 1 spacecraft is illustrated in this artists principle taking a trip through interstellar area, or the area between stars, which it went into in 2012. The thrusters on Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are mainly utilized to keep the spacecraft antennas pointed at Earth in order to communicate. In 2022, the onboard computer that orients the Voyager 1 spacecraft with Earth started to send out back garbled status reports, despite otherwise continuing to run usually. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have traveled more than 15 billion and 12 billion miles from Earth, respectively. Voyager 1 accomplished this milestone in 2012, followed by Voyager 2 in 2018.