NASA fires Voyager 1s engines for the first time in 37 years

[Judi Lynn]

5 December 2017

By Leah Crane

It’s alive! By firing a set of thrusters that have been gathering dust for more than 3 decades, NASA has extended the lifetime of the Voyager 1 mission by a few years.

The interstellar probe is 13 billion miles away, moving at a speed of over 17 kilometres per second, but it still manages to send messages back to Earth. In order to do that, it needs to keep its antenna pointed towards us.

After 40 years in space, the thrusters that orient the spacecraft and keep its antenna aiming in the right direction have started to break down.

NASA engineers decided to try firing the craft’s backup thrusters, which have been dormant for 37 years. Then, they had to wait 19 hours and 35 minutes to get a signal from Voyager 1 at the edge of our solar system. The long shot worked, and NASA scientists plan to fully switch over to the backup thrusters in 2020.

More:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2155460-nasa-fires-voyager-1s-engines-for-the-first-time-in-37-years/?cmpid=ILC|NSNS|2017_webpush&utm_medium=ILC&utm_source=NSNS&utm_campaign=webpush-Voyager

[JawJaw]

1. Brilliant Voyager Documentary

Shown on BBC recently

"The Farthest: Voyager's Interstellar Journey"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=128&v=znTdk_de_K8

Many of the key personnel are still alive and kicking and explained the missions' twists and turns really well.

One of the best science docs I think I've ever seem actually. Visually stunning. Poetic, towards the end.

[SonofDonald]

2. It's also on netflix, I watched it last night

Great documentary on the Voyager missions.

[longship]

3. Here. The whole thing.

Just watched it... again!

Absolutely incredible.

Enjoy!

[Judi Lynn]

4. Thank you, so much, for finding and posting this video, longship. n/t

[longship]

5. Frank Locatell is so passionate in this film.

What Voyager has done is nothing short of astounding. It deserves such passion.

Glad to be of assistance.

🛰🔭