NASA is fighting to make Voyager probes work after four decades



[ad_1]

The cosmic ray probe system played a key role in confirming that Voyager 2 left the heliosphere in November and that it remains useful to this day. Designed to detect rapidly moving particles from the sun and from sources outside our solar system, it continued to return data even after entering interstellar space.

That is why officials have lengthily discussed with the scientific team before deciding to turn off the heater of the instrument, which is necessary to prevent it from freezing. In the end, everyone decided that it was the component to be sacrificed at this point, because the CRS could only look in certain fixed directions. Fortunately, this did not result in an instant death for the cosmic ray instrument. The team confirmed that it was returning data even after its temperature had dropped to minus 74 degrees Fahrenheit and even though it had been tested at temperatures dropping to minus 49 degrees Fahrenheit decades ago.

Suzanne Dodd, Voyager's project manager, said it was "amazing that Voyagers' instruments were so robust." She added: "We are proud that they have stood the test of time.The long lifespan of the spacecraft means that we are faced with scenarios that we do not have. We would never have thought of meeting, we will continue to explore all the options we have to keep Voyagers doing the best science possible. "

Another example of the need for probes to adapt to the circumstances to continue, Voyager 2 launched its corrective maneuver boosters on July 8, 30 years after the last shot. Its attitude control boosters are old and do not work as well, forcing the probe to emit a growing number of impulses to ensure that its antenna remains directed to our planet. Now, the spacecraft has changed propeller like the Voyager 1 in 2018 and will use them to correct its orientation.

[ad_2]

Source link