NASA Restores Voyager 1 Data Stream
After months of silence and tension, NASA has successfully restored full science operations to Voyager 1. This marks a massive victory for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) team. The most distant human-made object in history is once again sending valuable data from interstellar space back to Earth.
The Critical Glitch of November 2023
The trouble began on November 14, 2023. Voyager 1, which has been traveling through space since 1977, started sending a repeating pattern of ones and zeros that made no sense. While the spacecraft continued to receive commands from Earth, the data returning to mission control was unintelligible.
Engineers traced the issue to the Flight Data System (FDS). This is one of the probe’s three onboard computers. The FDS is responsible for packaging data from the science instruments and engineering telemetry before sending it to Earth.
The team discovered that a single chip responsible for storing a portion of the FDS memory had failed. This corruption made the science and engineering data unreadable. Because Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles away, physically replacing the hardware was impossible. The team had to find a software solution for a hardware problem on a computer built nearly 50 years ago.
The Long-Distance Fix
Fixing a spacecraft at the edge of the solar system requires immense patience. Radio signals take approximately 22.5 hours to reach Voyager 1 and another 22.5 hours to return. This means the engineering team has to wait nearly two days to see if a command works.
The JPL team devised a risky but necessary plan. Since they could not repair the corrupted chip, they decided to move the affected code elsewhere. However, no single location in the FDS memory was large enough to hold the entire section of code.
The engineers broke the code into sections and stored them in different places within the FDS. They also had to update the code to ensure it would still function as a cohesive whole despite being split up. They also updated references in other parts of the FDS memory so the system would know where to look for the relocated code.
Timeline of the Restoration
- November 2023: The data stream becomes unintelligible.
- April 20, 2024: The team receives the first readable engineering data in five months. This confirmed the spacecraft was healthy and operating normally.
- May 17, 2024: NASA successfully enables two of the four science instruments.
- June 13, 2024: The remaining two instruments are brought back online.
All Four Science Instruments Are Back
As of mid-2024, Voyager 1 is conducting normal science operations with all four of its remaining operational instruments. These tools are critical for studying the region outside our heliosphere.
1. The Plasma Wave Subsystem
This instrument measures the density of the plasma (ionized gas) around the spacecraft. In 2012, this instrument provided the key evidence that Voyager 1 had officially left the heliosphere and entered interstellar space. It detects the vibrations of ionized gas to tell scientists about the environment between stars.
2. The Magnetometer
This tool measures the magnetic field in the spacecraft’s immediate environment. It helps scientists determine the transition between the Sun’s magnetic field and the magnetic fields of interstellar space. Understanding these magnetic lines is crucial for mapping the shape of the heliosphere.
3. The Cosmic Ray Subsystem
This instrument detects extremely high-energy particles. These cosmic rays originate from outside our solar system and from our own Sun. By comparing the amount of galactic cosmic rays to solar particles, scientists track Voyager’s journey deeper into the unknown.
4. The Low-Energy Charged Particle Instrument
This device measures the charged particles (electrons, protons, and ions) that have lower energy levels. It helps map the shape of the heliosphere and analyzes the composition of particles Voyager encounters.
Why This Matters
Voyager 1 is currently over 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) from Earth. It is the only probe exploring interstellar space along with its twin, Voyager 2. The data it sends back cannot be replicated by any other machine currently in existence.
Every day Voyager 1 survives extends our understanding of the universe. It is effectively a time capsule from 1977 interacting with the galaxy. The computer systems on board have less processing power than a modern car key fob, yet they continue to function in the harsh radiation and cold of deep space.
This repair ensures that the mission can continue. NASA hopes to keep the Voyagers running until at least the late 2020s or possibly the 2030s. Eventually, the plutonium power sources will deplete, and the instruments will have to be turned off one by one. But for now, the data is flowing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far away is Voyager 1? Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles from Earth. It is so far that light (and radio signals) takes more than 22 hours to reach it.
How old is Voyager 1? The spacecraft launched on September 5, 1977. It has been operating for over 46 years.
What will happen when Voyager 1 runs out of power? Once the power from its radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) drops below a certain level, NASA will have to turn off the science instruments. Eventually, the spacecraft will go silent but will continue drifting through the Milky Way indefinitely.
Does Voyager 1 still carry the Golden Record? Yes. Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 carry a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. It serves as a message to any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find it.