Voyager 1, a NASA spacecraft that is 15 billion miles away from earth, is experiencing computer glitches threatening an end to its 46-years long expedition throughout the solar system.
The Voyager program started in 1977 contains two spacecrafts, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, each only meant to last 5 years, and yet 50 years later both spacecrafts are still surviving. They are the only spacecrafts to ever operate past the heliosphere, the region of space dominated by the sun, and overtook Pioneer 10 as the farthest man-made object from the earth in 1998. The spacecrafts continue exploring unknown areas in our universe despite being deemed “senior citizens” by project manager Suzanne Dodd for their long lifetime and dated technology.
The Voyager 1 has experienced many technological errors throughout its history. It takes a total of 22.5 hours for commands from earth to reach the spacecraft, and over 45 hours to receive data back from the spacecraft, so glitches are difficult to identify and can last for months on end, the worst of which came in 2020, when NASA lost communication with Voyager 2 for a total of seven-months
The Voyager 1 system consists of only three computers, and communicates with earth in strings of ones and zeros The most recent glitch was first noticed on November 14th, after NASA attempted sending a software patch to both Voyagers. The detection of the issue, only found in Voyager 1, is it can receive and carry out commands sent, but the flight data is now stuck repeating and sending the same pattern back to earth. The data is complete gibberish, and the Voyager 1 is completely useless until the problem is solved.
A similar problem occurred to the Voyager 1 in four years after its launch date, in 1981, but NASA still has to find a new solution. They have started the process of finding the cause for the issue, and begun to develop a solution for it as well. This process can take weeks and weeks of work, and as issues with the spacecraft continuously become more common, NASA is aware that the end could be near for the Voyager spacecraft.
As Calla Cofield, one of the space engineers working on fixing the Voyager 1, “The Voyagers are performing far, far past their prime missions and longer than any other spacecraft in history… So, while the engineering team is working hard to keep them alive, we also fully expect issues to arise.”
Sources:
- Olin Gawel
14 comments:
It’s truly amazing that a spacecraft expected only to last for 5 years to last for so long. Voyager 1 made many contributions to our understanding of our Solar System, such as finding new moons orbiting Jupiter and helping scientists understand the nature of radiation in space. Information on space radiation is very important so scientists can find ways to protect astronauts as they travel outside Earth and its protective atmosphere. There are so many unknowns in space and I hope that there is some way Voyager 1 can be repaired so that it can continue exploring and continue its long journey.
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/analog-field-testing/why-space-radiation-matters/
I am surprised that A. both Voyagers have lived for this long and B. Nasa continues to use them. I feel like this reflects how advanced the US were in the space exploration time compared to the other countries in the world. For a spacecraft to still be somewhat functional 50 years later is a big and impressive feat. In fact, Voyager 2, after doing its initial purpose of taking photos of Jupiter and Saturn went on to become the only spacecraft to ever explore Uranus and Neptune. Today, Jupiter 2 still stands as the only ever spacecraft to ever explore Uranus and Neptune.
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/#:~:text=Planetary%20Voyage,moons%20of%20the%20two%20planets.
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/#:~:text=Planetary%20Voyage,moons%20of%20the%20two%20planets.
I agree that it's pretty amazing how long-lasting NASA spacecraft can be. Maybe it shouldn't be that much of a surprise, given how much planning, work, and funding go into every single detail, but it's still pretty cool. Also, the Voyager program isn't the only example--their Mars rovers have all exceeded their expected lifespans. Sojourner was planned for 7 days, and lasted 83, Spirit was planned for 90 days and lasted for over 6 years, and Opportunity was in operation for almost 15 years.
Additionally, this reminds me of what happened with the Voyager 2 back in August, when the mission team accidentally shifted its antenna 2 degrees away from Earth, which took about 2 weeks to fix. Given how far away they are, even the smallest details can cause issues.
Though it would be great if the people working at NASA would be able to fix Voyager 1, it has also done more than serve its purpose already. As it is reaching nearly half a century in operation, the Voyager 1 has already proved multiple feats as a first. With crossing the heliosphere, discovering Jupiter's ring and two moons, and finding five new moons, Voyager 1 has already provided so much towards our understanding of space. At the end, as Olin mentioned how repairing Voyager 2 took seven months, the same could be said about Voyager 1. As the problem hasn't been looked at for very long, there is still a great chance that the Voyager 1 can become functional again. Considering how far it is in space, Voyager 1 still holds an important role in space discovery.
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1/
As someone captivated by space exploration and the evolution of aircraft and spacecraft, it's inspiring to witness the remarkable longevity of Voyager 1. The fact that Voyager 1, originally crafted for a five-year mission, has continued to actively contribute to our understanding of the cosmos for over 50 years is a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. This brings me hope for the future, and makes me wonder what level of spacecraft humans could someday engineer.
I found that the Voyager spacecraft's journey and continued exploration of the universe truly inspiring. The fact that these older spacecrafts have passed their initial mission life by decades is a testament to the brilliance that people have and the endless curiosity that drives space exploration. It's interesting to see the challenges faced by Voyager 1, and the dedicated efforts of the NASA team to balance and address issues. The Voyager mission truly stands as a remarkable achievement in the exploration of the universe pushing the boundaries of what they thought was possible.
Five years wasn't really how long NASA expected the two Voyager missions to last --- they were basically designed to guarantee that they would last that long, in the hopes that they would last much longer (funding permitting...). They definitely put much more fuel than they would need in five years, although now, even if all the issues are fixed, the Voyagers will run out of fuel soon. I think it's really amazing that NASA has been able to communicate with the two satellites for so long, just because of how far they've gone beyond the solar system, and therefore how much they can tell us about what exists beyond. It's impressive that NASA is able to address all these issues remotely. I hope they're able to resolve this one; after all, it'll take decades to get another satellite that far from Earth again.
I think for a spacecraft meant to last 5 years and lasting 10 times as long is really a true testament to NASA's engineering. I think due to its original intention of monitoring planets like Jupiter and Saturn or the moon it has far exceeded its expectations but also was most likely engineered with the intention of consistency. Unlike other spacecrafts, it's mission was to observe which could have greatly helped aid in its longevity. As for NASA's consistent and constant patchwork, not only does it reflects NASA's incredible engineering and problem solving skills but also seems that NASA has intentions on letting the Voyagers last for as long as possible instead of replacing them.
I agree that it is really impressive that spacecrafts meant to last for 5 years are instead lasting for 50. While it is sad that the function of these spacecrafts that have provided us with so much knowledge for so long are declining to a point of useless and nonfunctioning, it presents a promising situation because this means that we may put a much newer and improved version up into space. This could potentially allow us to take much better pictures and to receive and send much more accurate information. However, like Alex mentioned above, it will take an extremely long time for the satellite to get into the same or similar position as the voyagers were in before. I look forward to hearing what solutions NASA comes up with to the problems on the Voyagers or any new steps they may take to implementing new spacecrafts.
As a kid I used to be obsessed with space and all the telescopes we sent into space. While it is sad to see the news about the telescopes shutting down, it also opens up a new era of telescopes and data that brings new discoveries to further our knowledge of the cosmos. It's also surprising how long these telescopes have lasted despite only been created for a 5 year voyage. I'm sure they also made it so the telescope could always transmit data back to Earth. After the telescope ran out of fuel it used its velocity from its previous movement to infinitely move through space which is a vacuum. I'm excited to see what NASA and future space companies will produce in the future moving from the voyager probes to the James Webb Telescope.
I agree that it is amazing the spaceships have lasted so long! Voyager 1 has helped explore much unchartered territory within space. The discoveries made are important for future missions and the safety and security of astronauts. I think these discoveries also contribute to the US's foreign standing as a whole. Currently, the US has the most amount of objects sent into space. Even though no country technically has a claim on space, there has been competition in the past for improvements in space research and technology. I think that the Voyager helps to maintain the power and resources that the US has compared to many other countries. Despite its shortcomings, the Voyager has definitely produced important information for the US.
https://hir.harvard.edu/a-shared-frontier-collaboration-and-competition-in-the-space-domain/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1/
I am truly impressed by the lasting legacy of spacecraft from the 1900s, able to still operate in space despite the uncertainty of the functionality of these spacecraft moving forwards. The fact that they have surpassed their originally projected 5-year lifespan is a testament to the remarkable achievements in exploration headed by the United States. This legacy not only reflects the nation's commitment to diverse programs, including those focused on welfare and military investments, but also highlights the efforts invested in advancing scientific research.
Wow! I didn't know that there were spacecraft developed in the 80’s that were able to last 20 years let alone 50 years. I’m not really in the space territory of the news so hearing something like this is interesting. I have a lot of questions about this, the main one being how something that far away in space only has THREE computers. I don't know a lot about binary communication but it's still super interesting how a computer can communicate from that far away through 0’s and 1’s and people can decode that and understand what it means. I agree with Nicole in the way that it’s striking how NASA can make something that's supposed to last 5 years and then it goes on to be working and lasting for 50 years while maintaining a connection and still communicating with Earth from that far away.
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