For nearly five decades, the twin Voyager spacecraft have revolutionized human exploration of the cosmos. As their power dwindles, NASA engineers are implementing a plan to conserve energy by shutting down select scientific instruments on each spacecraft.
The Voyager 1 and 2 probes have already exceeded expectations, revealing secrets about the outer planets, the Sun’s protective bubble, and even interstellar space. Despite their distance from Earth, signals from the spacecraft take longer to reach us, but their legacy of discovery continues.
To extend their operational life, NASA engineers will shut down the cosmic ray subsystem experiment on Voyager 1 as of February 25 and plan to turn off Voyager 2’s low-energy charged particle instrument on March 24. Despite these shutdowns, three science instruments will remain active on each spacecraft.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 use radioisotope power systems, which generate electricity from the heat of decaying plutonium. The probes are losing about 4 watts of power per year, prompting NASA to take measures to conserve energy.
The strategic shutdowns aim to maximize the remaining energy by prioritizing the most critical instruments. This plan will enable the Voyagers to continue operating with at least one science instrument into the 2030s.
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the most distant human-made objects ever built, with distances of over 15 billion miles from Earth. Due to their immense distance, it takes over 23 hours for a radio signal to reach Voyager 1 and nearly 20 hours for Voyager 2.
The mission’s continued success is crucial, as every minute of exploration brings us closer to new discoveries. NASA engineers are working tirelessly to ensure the Voyagers continue their trailblazing mission for as long as possible.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/the-end-of-voyager-nasas-race-to-keep-the-deep-space-probes-alive