Voyager 1, a spacecraft launched by NASA, recently sent back scientific observational data to Earth. This was the first time that communication with the spacecraft was reestablished in two months. The information was transmitted using the last remaining instruments still operational on the spacecraft, which is currently 15 billion miles or 24 billion kilometers away from Earth.
The observations provided by Voyager 1 offer crucial insights into plasma and magnetism in interstellar space. Despite facing numerous challenges over the years, including battery drain and being beyond the reach of the Deep Space Network by 2036, Voyager 1 continues to provide valuable data and communications that help us understand more about our universe.
Voyager 1 left Pluto and our solar system behind in 2018, and since then it has been traveling through deep space. Currently, two of its four science instruments have returned to their normal operating modes after additional work was required for the other two. However, some of the instruments will need to be powered down due to battery drain within the next year. By this point in time, Voyager 1 will be far beyond Earth’s reach and carrying a golden record into the unknown depths of space.
The project manager for Voyager missions, Suzanne Dodd, expressed her amazement at how resilient these missions have been despite all of the challenges they’ve faced over the years. With such incredible success stories like this one under their belt, NASA continues to push boundaries and explore new frontiers in space exploration.
