Voyager 1: All four measuring instruments are working

The Voyager 1 spacecraft is making regular science measurements with all onboard instruments for the first time after problems last fall. According to NASA, all four instruments on the space probe are now operational, collecting data about plasma waves, magnetic fields and particles from interstellar space.

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The farthest artificial probe from Earth began sending out unwanted data only in November 2023; For a long time it was not clear whether it was possible to correct the error remotely. In April this year, NASA was able to partially address the problem by having the probe send back technical data about its condition.

In May, the next step in solving the problem came when the probe was ordered to send back scientific data. Then two of the four instruments returned to normal operating mode, NASA says. More work was needed for the other two instruments.

More work required

But NASA engineers aren't finished solving the problem yet. Among other things, they resynchronize the time-tracking software in the spacecraft's three on-board computers so they can execute commands at the correct time. It takes 22.5 hours for the signal from Earth to reach the probe, so the answer will not be received until two days at the earliest.

In addition, there is maintenance work on the device that records data from the plasma wave device, which is sent back to Earth twice a year. Most of the probe's other scientific data will be sent directly to Earth without being recorded, according to NASA.

Voyager 1 and its sister probe Voyager 2 are the only spacecraft to explore interstellar space directly outside the heliosphere. Voyager 1 is 24 billion kilometers away from Earth, while Voyager 2 is more than 20 billion kilometers away. In their roughly 47-year journey, both probes passed by Jupiter and Saturn, and Voyager 2 also passed by Uranus and Neptune.

(program)