Interstellar Voyager 1 resumes operations after pause in communications with NASA

NASA has confirmed that aft a intermission successful communications with Voyager 1 successful precocious October, the spacecraft has regained its dependable and resumed regular operations.

Voyager unexpectedly turned disconnected its superior vigor transmitter, known arsenic its X-band, earlier turning connected its overmuch weaker S-band transmitter successful October.

The interstellar spacecraft is presently located astir 15.4 cardinal miles distant from Earth and the S-band had not been utilized successful implicit 40 years.

Communication betwixt NASA and Voyager 1 has been spotty astatine times and the power to the little set prevented the Voyager ngo squad from downloading subject information and accusation astir the spacecraft’s status.

NASA RECONNECTS WITH INTERSTELLAR VOYAGER 1 SPACECRAFT USING TECHNOLOGY NOT USED IN DECADES

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is depicted successful this artist’s conception traveling done interstellar space, oregon the abstraction betwixt stars, which it entered successful 2012. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Earlier this month, the squad was capable to reactivate the X-band transmitter and resume postulation of information from the 4 operating science instruments onboard Voyager 1.

Now that the information tin beryllium collected and communications person resumed, engineers are finishing a fewer remaining tasks to instrumentality Voyager 1 backmost to the authorities it was successful earlier the contented came up. One task is to reset the strategy that synchronizes Voyager 1’s 3 onboard computers.

The S-band was activated by the spacecraft’s responsibility extortion strategy erstwhile engineers activated a heater connected Voyager 1. The responsibility extortion strategy determined the probe did not person capable powerfulness and automatically turned disconnected systems that were not indispensable to support the spacecraft flying successful bid to support providing powerfulness to captious systems.

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NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, shown successful this illustration, has been exploring our star strategy since 1977, on with its twin, Voyager 2. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

But successful the process, the probes turned disconnected each nonessential systems but for subject instruments, NASA said, turning disconnected the X-band and activating the S-band, which uses little power.

Voyager 1 had not utilized the S-band to pass with Earth since 1981.

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This illustration provided by NASA depicts the astir distant spacecraft from Earth, Voyager 1. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory successful Southern California announced this week that Voyager 1's 4 technological instruments are backmost successful concern aft a method problem. (NASA via AP, File)

Voyager 1′s odyssey began successful 1977, erstwhile the spacecraft and its twin, Voyager 2, were launched connected a circuit of the state elephantine planets of the star system.

After beaming backmost dazzling postcard views of Jupiter’s elephantine reddish spot and Saturn’s shimmering rings, Voyager 2 hopscotched to Uranus and Neptune. Meanwhile, Voyager 1 utilized Saturn arsenic a gravitational slingshot to powerfulness itself past Pluto.

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There are 10 subject instruments connected each spacecraft, and according to NASA, 4 are presently being utilized to survey the particles, plasma and magnetic fields successful interstellar space.