NASA Shuts Off Instrument on Voyager 1 to Keep Spacecraft Operating - NASA Science
science.nasa.gov
On April 17, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called the

Engineers are confident that shutting down the LECP will give Voyager 1 about a year of breathing room. They are using the time to finalize a more ambitious energy-saving fix for both Voyagers they call “the Big Bang,” which is designed to further extend Voyager operations. The idea is to swap out a group of powered devices all at once — hence the nickname — turning some things off and replacing them with lower-power alternatives to keep the spacecraft warm enough to continue gathering science data.

  • HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.caEnglish
    28·
    2 days ago

    This is so fuking cool

    I am filled with pride that we collectively made something that will likely out live our sun, and we continue to find ingenious ways to keep it going and going

    What a cool time to be alive

    • nuachtan@lemmy.worldEnglish
      17·
      2 days ago

      I remember when both Voyagers were making their fly bys. We’d get a bunch of images in magazines and stuff, and then wait several more years for the next planet. Between that and the Space Shuttle flights it was awesome.

      I wasn’t around for the moon landings so Skylab and Voyager were the highlights of my days.