NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has begun transmitting useful data to Earth about the status and capabilities of its onboard systems for the first time since November 2023.
The mission team is currently preparing the spacecraft to resume transmitting scientific data. Voyager 1, along with its sibling Voyager 2, are the only spacecraft to enter interstellar space.
Voyager's computer malfunctions
Voyager 1 stopped transmitting comprehensible scientific and engineering data on November 14, 2023. The spacecraft received instructions and appeared to be operating as expected, but the data sent back was unreadable.
In March, a technical team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California said the problem was caused by one of the spacecraft's three computers, specifically the flight data subsystem ( It was diagnosed that the problem was related to a malfunction of FDS. This system is responsible for organizing scientific and engineering data before sending it to Earth.
Voyager data revival
When data transmission was restored in April 2024, JPL's Voyager team celebrated. The cause of the failure was traced back to the failure of a single memory chip within the FDS.
This chip was critical because it holds part of the FDS's memory, which contains segments of software code essential to processing the data sent to Earth.
With the chip non-functional and irreplaceable, the team tried to reallocate the code to a different part of FDS memory. However, the memory section was not large enough to accommodate the entire code.
Process of retrieving Voyager data
The solution involved fragmenting the code into smaller segments and reallocating them to multiple memory locations. This complex process required coordination to allow the fragmented code to work seamlessly as a whole. This includes updating references to the code's location in FDS memory.
Initially, the focus was on the segment of code responsible for collating the spacecraft's engineering data. This was successfully relocated in his FDS memory on April 18th. Voyager 1's distance is so far from Earth, more than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) from her, that it takes about 22 and a half hours for the signal to travel from Earth to the spacecraft, and an additional 22 and a half hours. It may take several hours for a response to be returned.
lasting mission
When communications were re-established on April 20, the team confirmed that the coordination was successful, and for the first time in five months, they were able to confirm the spacecraft's operational status and status.
In the coming weeks, the Voyager team plans to rearrange and modify the remaining sections of the FDS software that are critical to restarting the transmission of science data.
Meanwhile, Voyager 2 remains fully functional. Launched more than 46 years ago, the Voyager spacecraft (both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2) are the most durable and farthest spacecraft ever launched. Before entering interstellar space, each spacecraft conducted flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, and Voyager 2 also visited Uranus and Neptune.
Voyager mission details
NASA's Voyager mission consists of two spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in 1977 to explore the outer solar system and beyond. The mission's main objective was to take advantage of unusual planetary configurations that allow for spectacular tours of the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
This alignment only occurs once every 176 years, and the timing of the mission took advantage of this to expand our knowledge of these distant worlds.
voyager 1
Voyager 1's orbit passed Jupiter in March 1979 and Saturn in November 1980, providing detailed images and data about the planet and its moons. After the encounter with Saturn, Voyager 1's orbit was adjusted so that it passed close to Saturn's moon Titan and headed out of the solar system.
voyager 2
Voyager 2 passed Jupiter in July 1979, Saturn in August 1981, Uranus in January 1986, and Neptune in August 1989 on a longer orbit. Each flyby yielded important scientific discoveries, including the first detailed images of these planets' atmospheres and magnetic fields. , rings, and numerous satellites.
interstellar space
After completing their primary missions, both Voyagers proceeded to the heliosheath, the outermost layer of the heliosphere where the pressure of interstellar gas slows the speed of the solar wind. Voyager 1 entered interstellar space in August 2012, becoming the first human-made object. Voyager 2 reached interstellar space in November 2018.
continuous communication
Despite being far from Earth, Voyager continues to communicate with the NASA Deep Space Network to send back scientific data.
This enduring mission has expanded our understanding of the heliosphere and provided unique insights into the nature of interstellar space beyond our solar system.
The spacecraft carries a golden record containing sounds and images chosen to depict the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and the possibility of discovering extraterrestrial intelligence. It is intended as a message to someone who is.
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