NASA has launched several spacecraft with the objective of learning more about what's beyond the planet. The Voyager 1 is among the oldest tech that the space agency launched into space and after months of technical issues, the probe is back to normal operations.
NASA's Vogayer 1 is Back
Scientists will need all the information and data they can get from probes sent into space to further understand what goes on outside our solar system, so it comes as good news that after seven months of technical difficulties, a team of NASA engineers managed to resolve the issue.
The team first discovered that there was something wrong back in November 2023 when the spacecraft was sending back unreadable data. It was still capable of receiving and executing commands, and yet the data it provided did not make any sense.
It was only this April that the engineers found the root of the problem, which was some corrupted memory in the probe's flight data system, as reported by Engadget. With the problem now identified, the team successfully fixed the issue.
They were able to get two of its instruments to send back readable data again, and now all four are back in order. With that said, the probe will be able to contribute data that scientists can study further to help us expand our understanding of space.
The Remarkable Voyager 1
The Voyager 1 may not be as popular as other man-made space objects, but it certainly deserves attention. It was launched in 1977, and it's impressive that it is still up and running as it is close to being five decades old.
Although it was meant to fly by Jupiter and Saturn, the probe crossed interstellar space in 2012. With it being more than 15 billion miles away from Earth, the Voyager 1 is officially the most distant human-made object in space.
With it still being operation after its main goal, NASA has extended the probe's mission. Even though it was technically released later than Voyager 2, NASA says that it overtook the probe when it exited the asteroid belt earlier by taking the faster route.
It has contributed to our knowledge about space in more ways than one. The Voyager 1 was able to discover a thin ring around Jupiter as well as two new Jovian moons, which were named Thebe and Metis.
It also discovered five new moons on a new ring called the G-ring in Saturn. Even without those discoveries, what the probe managed to reach is already impressive enough. It is the first spacecraft to cross the heliosphere and is the first man-made object to reach interstellar space.
NASA even prepared it for a potential extraterrestrial encounter. Each Vogaer probe contains a message that was prepared by a team headed by Carl Sagan. It's a 12-inch diameter gold-plated copper disc with inscribed symbols to show the location of Earth.
It also contains instructions to play them using a cartridge and needle just like humans would with a vinyl player. There are greetings in 55 languages, as well as 35 sounds from life on Earth like songs and laughter.
