PASADENA, California – Despite traveling more than 15 billion miles away from Earth, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is still operational. However, a recent computer glitch has hindered the flow of crucial telemetry data back to the mission support team. The glitch, which arose on November 14, has stymied the probe’s ability to transmit essential information about its systems and scientific measurements back to Earth.
Suzanne Dodd, the project manager for NASA’s Voyager mission, expressed optimism about resolving the issue, stating that the team remains committed to finding a solution. Voyager 1, launched in 1977, continues to be humanity’s farthest-traveled spacecraft, hurtling through space at 38,000 mph. Its sister spacecraft, Voyager 2, launched 16 days prior and is also operational but not as far as Voyager 1.
For the last few decades, NASA has been utilizing Voyager’s instruments to study cosmic phenomena in interstellar space, as the spacecraft has ventured beyond the influence of the Sun’s solar wind. However, the recent computer issue has led to a lack of detailed data from Voyager, making it difficult for engineers to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem.
The malfunction is suspected to be linked to a bit of corrupted memory in the probe’s Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), which is the primary computer responsible for collecting and transmitting data to Earth. The FDS was a groundbreaking innovation in spacecraft computing when it was developed over 50 years ago, but its backup system on Voyager 1 failed in 1981.
Despite the setbacks, the team has only received a carrier signal from Voyager 1, indicating that the spacecraft remains functional. However, the lack of precise telemetry data has made it challenging for engineers to diagnose and address the root of the issue, leaving them uncertain about the next steps in resolving the problem.
As NASA continues to work diligently on resolving the computer glitch, the support team remains hopeful that Voyager 1 will soon resume transmitting data back to Earth, allowing for an in-depth analysis of the spacecraft’s systems and scientific readings.