Quick access to main page (top) Direct access to main contents Quick access to main page (bottom)

Lost in Space No More: NASA Successfully Repairs Voyager 1 from Earth!

Daniel Kim Views  

Voyager 1, the farthest and longest-operating spacecraft, has been returning data after six months of inactivity.

NASA announced that Voyager 1, located approximately 14.9 billion miles from Earth, began transmitting data to Earth as of the 13th.

Launched in September 1977 for interstellar space research, Voyager 1 traveled past Jupiter and Saturn to reach 14.9 billion miles from Earth. Its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, also traveled 12.4 billion miles, passing Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1 started malfunctioning on November 14 of last year.

Instead of sending binary codes of 0s and 1s, it began transmitting unreadable data back to Earth, equivalent to a human losing their language abilities.

Launched over 46 years ago, NASA couldn’t simply give up on Voyager 1 and initiated a remote repair.

During the repair, they discovered that one of the three computers, the Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), was the main source of the problem. Specifically, the single memory chip responsible for sorting data was defective. NASA resolved the issue by placing the software (SW) code of the problematic chip elsewhere, as collecting data and receiving commands from Earth were functioning properly.

Voyager 1 has four instruments. Two of these devices started working immediately when the repair process began. The remaining two started to send data recently, and the spacecraft resumed its normal operations after seven months. Since 2012, Voyager 1 has been exploring interstellar space after leaving the solar system. Due to its long distance from Earth, physical repairs are impossible for the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.

The Voyager spacecraft is powered by a nuclear battery that converts the heat of plutonium into electricity, also known as a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). However, the battery has been producing less electricity each year and is almost depleted now.

To continue the operation, Voyager 2 plans to turn off one of its five devices in 2026. Voyager 1 originally had five devices but one broke down early in the mission.

Even with these measures, the batteries will expire soon. NASA estimates that Voyager 1’s operations could cease as early as next year, or at the latest by 2030.

Daniel Kim
content@viewusglobal.com

Comments0

300

Comments0

[WORLD] Latest Stories

  • Porsche Taycan GTS Breaks Guinness Record with 10.9-Mile Ice Drift
  • Africa's MPOX Variant Clade 1b Reaches France: Health Officials Take Action
  • LA Wildfires’ Economic Toll Hits $50 Billion, Doubling Early Estimates
  • Real Reason Trump Wants Greenland and the Panama Canal: Geopolitical Dominance
  • Biden Targets China, Russia with New Semiconductor Export Limits
  • Wildfire Chaos in California: 150,000 Evacuated as Flames Spread

You May Also Like

  • 1
    Food Addiction in Kids Tied to Low Self-Esteem and Poor School Performance

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 2
    Baby’s Here, But the Weight’s Still There? You’re Not Alone

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 3
    Inside the Pope’s Health Crisis: Antibiotic-Resistant Infection Fuels Global Concern

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 4
    Want to Lose Weight? Trick Your Brain with These Simple Diet Hacks!

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 5
    Turns Out, What You Eat at 40 Really Can Shape How You Feel at 70

    LIFESTYLE 

Popular Now

  • 1
    FDA Greenlights Sanofi's Qfitlia for Hemophilia—An Innovative Alternative to Daily Injections

    LIFESTYLE&nbsp

  • 2
    Prostate Cancer Screenings May Cut Death Risk in Half, Study Finds

    LIFESTYLE&nbsp

  • 3
    It’s Not Just Depression: Personality Disorders Linked to Highest Suicide Risk

    LIFESTYLE&nbsp

  • 4
    Faster Cancer Treatment? Merck Launch Set for Subcutaneous Keytruda Rollout

    LIFESTYLE&nbsp

  • 5
    Cutting Carbs? You Might Be Raising Your Risk of Colon Cancer

    LIFESTYLE&nbsp

Must-Reads

  • 1
    Food Addiction in Kids Tied to Low Self-Esteem and Poor School Performance

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 2
    Baby’s Here, But the Weight’s Still There? You’re Not Alone

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 3
    Inside the Pope’s Health Crisis: Antibiotic-Resistant Infection Fuels Global Concern

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 4
    Want to Lose Weight? Trick Your Brain with These Simple Diet Hacks!

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 5
    Turns Out, What You Eat at 40 Really Can Shape How You Feel at 70

    LIFESTYLE 

Popular Now

  • 1
    FDA Greenlights Sanofi's Qfitlia for Hemophilia—An Innovative Alternative to Daily Injections

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 2
    Prostate Cancer Screenings May Cut Death Risk in Half, Study Finds

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 3
    It’s Not Just Depression: Personality Disorders Linked to Highest Suicide Risk

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 4
    Faster Cancer Treatment? Merck Launch Set for Subcutaneous Keytruda Rollout

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 5
    Cutting Carbs? You Might Be Raising Your Risk of Colon Cancer

    LIFESTYLE