FILE: NASA’s Webb telescope was able to photograph Neptune and its rings capturing the clearest photo of the planet in over 30 years.
NASA said one of its oldest spacecraft, Voyager 1, is back operating normally after an unexpected blackout from the 47-year-old spacecraft traveling more than 15.4 billion miles from Earth.
Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, launched from Florida in 1977. By 1989, they had completed the first tour of the solar system. Each spacecraft exited the solar system years ago and has been sending back data from interstellar space.
Many hiccups come with a nearly 50-year-old piece of technology, and the Voyager team has faced many this year alone.
VOYAGER 1 AND 2 CONTINUE OFFERING NEW MYSTERIES FROM INTERSTELLAR SPACE
Most recently, Voyager 1’s stronger X-band transmitter unexpectedly shut down, kicking on the weaker S-band transmitter, which the spacecraft had not used to communicate with Earth since 1981. NASA said on Nov. 26 that the spacecraft had resumed regular operations and reactivated the X-band transmitter, collecting the interstellar data from the week of Nov. 18 when the issue cropped up.
Artist rendering of the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
(NASA)
Troubleshooting either Voyager spacecraft takes time, creative thinking and much waiting, Voyager Project Scientist Linda Spilker previously told FOX Weather. To uplink code to the spacecraft, it takes 24.5 hours to reach Voyager and another 24.5 hours to hear back if it worked.
The Voyagers were constructed before the digital age, meaning problem-solving often involves pulling up a lot of written notes and contacting surviving engineers no longer with NASA.
This illustration shows the positions of NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes outside the heliosphere, the region surrounding our star, beyond which interstellar space begins. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
(NASA)
The team successfully resolved problems with Voyager 1 in June and April after a data blackout since November 2023. An incorrect command sent to Voyager 2 last year cut off contact with Earth for two weeks.
NASA teams say the bumps in the road with Voyager 1 and 2 are worth it because the twin interstellar explorers still collect valuable data while traveling farther than any other human-made object.