NASA’s Voyager 1 probe leaves its problems behind and returns to work | Lifestyle | SmartLife

Good news, engineers. POT They managed to completely restore the functionality of the spacecraft Voyager 1 after overcoming more than seven months of technical difficulties. It is worth remembering that in November 2023, a probe more than 15 billion miles from Earth began sending strange and unreadable data, forcing the team to work intensively to identify the cause of the problem.

Fortunately, in April the team discovered that the problem was due to corrupted memory in the probe’s flight data system (FDS). Subsequently, they managed to restore the operation of two of their scientific instruments. Now, according to NASA, all four Voyager 1 instruments are back to sending readable data. This probe, launched in 1977, continues to perform amazingly, allowing direct exploration of interstellar space to resume.

NASA’s Voyager 1 continues to provide great assistance

NASA’s Voyager 1 probe resumed science operations for the first time since a technical problem occurred in November 2023. After May 19, the control team completed the second stage of the repair process, sending a command to the probe to begin transmitting scientific data and two of the four scientific instruments immediately returned to normal operation, now the remaining two more – They’re already returning useful scientific data This is how plasma waves, magnetic fields and particles are considered.

Although Voyager 1 has resumed its scientific activities, additional work is still required to completely eliminate the consequences of the problem. Among other tasks, engineers must synchronizereinstall the synchronization software on the three computers on board the probe so that they can execute commands at the right time. In addition, there will be maintenance on a digital tape recorder that records some of the plasma wave instrument’s data and sends it back to Earth twice a year.

A mission that has a future

It should be remembered that Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 are the only probes capable of take direct samples from interstellar spacethe region lying outside the heliosphere, the protective bubble of magnetic fields and solar wind created by the Sun.

Voyager 1 is more than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) from Earth, and Voyager 2 is more than 12 billion miles (20 billion kilometers) from the planet. Both probes will celebrate their 47th anniversary this year. NASA’s Longest and Farthest Missions. The two probes flew past Jupiter and Saturn, and Voyager 2 also passed close to Uranus and Neptune.

Voyager Legacy

The Voyager probes left an indelible mark on space exploration. Since their launch in 1977, these spacecraft have provided invaluable amounts of scientific data that significantly expanded our knowledge of the solar system and interstellar space. Its ability to operate for so long under extreme conditions is a testament to the solid engineering and dedication of the NASA team.

Voyager 1, once again fully operational, will continue its mission to explore the boundaries of interstellar space, sending back valuable data to help scientists. better understand phenomena that occur beyond the direct influence of the Sun. As they continue their journey, these probes continue to represent one of the greatest achievements in space exploration, defying expectations and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

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