A naukri.com initiative
Livescience
2d
216
Image Credit: Livescience
'Yet another miracle save': NASA engineers complete nail-biting maneuver to resurrect Voyager 1's long-dead thrusters
- NASA engineers have successfully revived Voyager 1's long-dead thrusters, providing a crucial backup just before a planned communications blackout.
- This fix has extended the spacecraft's operation until contact with Earth is reestablished next year.
- Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles away from Earth and requires 23 hours for a radio signal to reach our planet.
- The backup thrusters on Voyager 1 had been clogging up with propellant residue, posing a challenge for the spacecraft's orientation.
- Despite facing issues since 2004, Voyager 1 continued its journey into interstellar space, providing valuable data about conditions outside the heliosphere.
- NASA engineers had to resort to remote fixes due to the craft's high speed and remoteness in interstellar space.
- A critical antenna upgrade and looming backup thruster issues prompted NASA engineers to take immediate action to fix the heaters remotely.
- The engineers successfully fixed the thruster heaters, ensuring Voyager's continued operation beyond the potential antenna blackout.
- The team's efforts were praised as another 'miracle save for Voyager,' prolonging the spacecraft's mission despite inevitable instrument shutdowns.
- As Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 continue their journeys, the spacecraft face diminishing power reserves and impending shutdowns.
Read Full Article
13 Likes
For uninterrupted reading, download the app