From outside the Solar System, Voyager 1 still sends data back to Earth

(Dan Tri) - 47 years after its launch, Voyager 1 continues to bring back important data from outside the Solar System.

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, reached interstellar space in 2012, becoming the first spacecraft to cross the boundary of the Solar System (Photo: NASA).

In a recent announcement by NASA, the Voyager 1 spacecraft had to use its backup radio transmitter, which had been inactive since 1981.

The reason is because the ship has been experiencing communication problems recently and has put itself into a protective state to save energy.

The rover then automatically turned off the X-band (primary) radio transmitter and instead switched to the S-band (secondary) radio transmitter, which uses less power.

According to experts, Voyager 1's fault protection system could be triggered for a number of reasons, such as if the spacecraft overuses its power supply.

If that happens, the spacecraft will shut down all non-essential systems to save energy and maintain the mission.

“The radio transmission system change occurred due to the spacecraft’s fault protection system,” NASA said in a statement. “This system automatically responds to problems on board.”

It is known that NASA is examining the data sent back to determine what happened to Voyager 1. They also shared that they will return the historic ship to normal operation.

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, reached interstellar space in 2012, becoming the first spacecraft to cross the boundary of the Solar System.

Time in deep space has taken its toll on the ship's equipment and caused more and more technical problems.

Earlier this year, a team from NASA had to fix a separate communications glitch that caused the spacecraft to transmit gibberish messages.

However, NASA will not "abandon" the Voyager 1 spacecraft.

The organization has repeatedly affirmed that despite the spacecraft's advanced age and its great distance from Earth, the spacecraft still plays an important role because it provides important data from outside the Solar System.

See also: The greatest super spacecraft in human history and 45 years of drifting

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe/tu-ben-ngoai-he-mat-troi-tau-voyager-1-van-gui-du-lieu-ve-trai-dat-20241031095646144.htm