Voyager 1 returning science data from all four instruments

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is conducting regular science operations for the primary time following a technical difficulty that arose in November 2023.

The staff partially resolved the difficulty in April once they prompted the spacecraft to start returning engineering knowledge, which incorporates details about the well being and standing of the spacecraft. On Could 19, the mission staff executed the second step of that restore course of and beamed a command to the spacecraft to start returning science knowledge.

Two of the 4 science instruments returned to their normal operating modes instantly. Two different devices required some further work, however now, all 4 are returning usable science knowledge.

The 4 devices research plasma waves, magnetic fields, and particles. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the one spacecraft to immediately pattern interstellar space, which is the area outdoors the heliosphere—the protecting bubble of magnetic fields and solar wind created by the sun.

Whereas Voyager 1 is again to conducting science, further minor work is required to wash up the consequences of the difficulty. Amongst different duties, engineers will resynchronize timekeeping software program within the spacecraft’s three onboard computer systems to allow them to execute instructions on the proper time.

The staff can even carry out upkeep on the digital tape recorder, which data some knowledge for the plasma wave instrument that’s despatched to Earth twice per yr. (A lot of the Voyagers’ science knowledge is distributed on to Earth and never recorded.)

Voyager 1 is greater than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) from Earth, and Voyager 2 is greater than 12 billion miles (20 billion kilometers) from the planet. The probes will mark 47 years of operations later this yr. They’re NASA’s longest-running and most-distant spacecraft. Each spacecraft flew previous Jupiter and Saturn, whereas Voyager 2 additionally flew previous Uranus and Neptune.