Govind Tekale
Voyager 1's unexpected radio silence ends, but what caused Earth's most distant spacecraft to go quiet?
Photo Source: Picryl
NASA's engineering team races against dwindling power reserves as Voyager 1 loses 4 watts annually in deep space.
Photo Source: Kevin Gill (CC BY 2.0)
Fault protection system made a surprising choice: shutting down X-band transmitter for power conservation at 24.9 billion kilometers from Earth.
After weeks of limited communication through weaker S-band signals, X-band transmitter successfully reactivated in early November.
Photo Source: Pixabay
Can aging spacecraft systems survive the harsh conditions of interstellar space as power margins shrink?
Photo Source: Bruce Irving (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Engineers devise creative solutions to keep 46-year-old probe functioning, including switching to backup thrusters due to silicon dioxide buildup.
Photo Source: NASA
Scientific data collection resumes from four operational instruments, marking crucial return to normal operations.
Photo Source: Brett Sayles (Pexels)
Mission team tackles remaining challenges: resynchronizing three onboard computers while managing critical power constraints.
Photo Source: Polina Zimmerman (Pexels)
Despite instrument shutdowns since 1990, Voyager 1 continues vital interstellar research, having discovered multiple moons around Jupiter and Saturn.
NASA Powers Down Voyager 2 Plasma Instrument: What This Means for the 12.8 Billion Mile Journey