What To Know
- This command enabled Voyager 1 to send back its first readable message in four months, allowing engineers to pinpoint the exact location of the problem on a faulty computer chip.
- The solution was to devise a workaround to modify the FDS code remotely, a complex task given that Voyager 1 is located more than 24 billion kilometers from Earth.
- NASA‘s ability to solve such complex technical problems at such a great distance is a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of its engineers and scientists.
The interstellar probe Voyager 1 is once again playing extra time. NASA engineers have successfully restored communications with the venerable spacecraft, ending a seven-month period of silence caused by a technical glitch. This feat marks a new milestone in interstellar exploration and demonstrates the resilience of technology and human ingenuity.
A technical problem solved billions of miles away
In November 2023, Voyager 1 will started sending inconsistent signals following a failure in one of its three onboard computers. For months, scientists tried to solve this complex problem. It was not until April 2024 that a breakthrough was made. Engineers sent a command to the flight data subsystem (FDS) tasked with formatting scientific data before transmission. This command enabled Voyager 1 to send back its first readable message in four months, allowing engineers to pinpoint the exact location of the problem on a faulty computer chip. The solution was to devise a workaround to modify the FDS code remotely, a complex task given that Voyager 1 is located more than 24 billion kilometers from Earth. This intervention was ultimately successful and allowed the probe’s scientific instruments to be gradually restored. In May, two of the four instruments began returning usable data. With a few additional adjustments, all instruments are now operationalcollecting valuable information about plasma waves, magnetic fields and particles in interstellar space. Despite this success, Voyager 1’s full restoration still requires work. Engineers must resynchronize the timing software, which is essential for the synchronized operation of the three onboard computers. Maintenance of the probe’s digital tape recorder, which stores data from the plasma wave instrument, is also required.
Voyager 1 has been drifting through interstellar space since November 2018. Credits: NASA/JLP
A well-deserved retirement
As a reminder, Voyager 1 is currently traveling through interstellar space, a region beyond the heliosphere, the protective bubble created by magnetic fields and solar winds. At this distance, commands sent from Earth put 22.5 hours to reach the probe and the answers take just as long to come back. NASA’s ability to solve such complex technical problems at such a great distance is a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of its engineers and scientists. If all goes according to plan, Voyager 1 will continue to provide invaluable data until about 2025, enriching our understanding of interstellar space.
