NASA has turned off a crucial instrument aboard the Voyager 2 spacecraft, sacrificing it at 12.7 billion miles from Earth to prolong its mission life. The decision was made to conserve power as the probe’s energy supply dwindles.
Voyager 2, launched in 1977, is now the most distant human-made object in space, traveling over 12.8 billion miles into interstellar space. To ensure its continued operation, NASA has shut down the Plasma Science Experiment (PLS), which measures charged particles in the solar system and beyond.
The PLS played a vital role in understanding the transition of Voyager 2 from the heliosphere to interstellar space. The instrument is designed with four detector cups for plasma flow measurement. With its power consumption, it was deemed non-essential, allowing NASA to save energy.
Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause first, entering interstellar space in August 2012. Voyager 2 followed suit in November 2018. To extend its mission, NASA has reduced power consumption by turning off other science instruments and conserving their three Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs).
The probe still carries four operational instruments to collect data on the interstellar medium. With these remaining tools, Voyager 2 is expected to continue exploring this region until at least the 2030s.
Despite this sacrifice, Voyager 2 remains an iconic symbol of human exploration and a testament to scientific ingenuity, carrying a message of humanity into the vast expanse of space.
Source: https://interestingengineering.com/space/nasa-shuts-down-voyager-2-plasma-instrument