After a prolonged period of silence, Voyager 1 has finally returned to full functionality. The spacecraft was last heard from in March 2022, but NASA engineers were able to reactivate its communication system.
Voyager 1 is now transmitting data and telemetry information back to Earth, allowing scientists to once again monitor its performance and trajectory.
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Voyager Resumes Sending Updates
Voyager 1 is back online and sending usable data about its onboard engineering systems.
The spacecraft had been sending distorted data due to a glitch on one of its three onboard computers, the flight data system (FDS).
The FDS collects data, including engineering data, and combines it into a single data package sent back to Earth.
Engineers attempted to fix the glitch by patching the software, but that didn't work.
The team had to place the affected code elsewhere in the FDS memory because no single location was large enough to hold it.
They devised a plan to divide the affected code into sections and store those sections in different places in the FDS.
The team sent the code to the new location in the FDS memory on April 18, and it worked.
For the first time in five months, the spacecraft's health and status could be checked.
The team will relocate and adjust the other affected portions of the FDS software in the coming weeks, including the ones that will start returning science data.
The next step is to enable the spacecraft to begin returning science data.
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Voyager Comes Back Online
Voyager 1 is coming back online after months of troubleshooting a glitch that caused the spacecraft to send home unusable data.
NASA announced the good news on April 22, and it's a huge relief for the engineering team that's been working tirelessly to fix the issue.
The glitch was found on one of the probe's three onboard computers, the flight data system (FDS), which collects data about the health and status of the spacecraft.
The team attempted to fix the glitch by patching the software, but that didn't work, so they had to get creative.
They devised a plan to divide the affected code into sections and store those sections in different places in the FDS, which required adjusting the code to ensure it still functioned.
The team sent the code to the new location in the FDS memory on April 18, and it worked!
For the first time in five months, the team was able to check the health and status of the spacecraft, which is a huge milestone.
The next step is to enable the probe to begin returning science data, which will provide valuable insights into the universe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Voyager 1 ever turn back on?
Voyager 1 has successfully recovered from its systems failure and will continue its mission, but it's unlikely to "turn back on" in the classical sense. Instead, it will continue to operate in a reduced capacity, sending back valuable data about interstellar space.
Where is Voyager 1 right now?
Voyager 1 is currently located in the constellation of Ophiuchus. Its precise position is 17h 15m 48s Right Ascension and +12° 01' 21” Declination.
Sources
- https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-voyager-1-resumes-sending-engineering-updates-to-earth/
- https://science.nasa.gov/missions/voyager-program/voyager-1/voyager-1-returning-science-data-from-all-four-instruments/
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-months-of-glitches-and-gradual-fixes-voyager-1-is-fully-operational-once-again-180984557/
- https://phys.org/news/2024-04-nasa-voyager-resumes-earth.html
- https://www.meritalk.com/articles/nasas-1977-vintage-voyager-1-comes-back-online/
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