Voyager 1 Speaks ,Resumes Sending Data After Five-Month Hiatus

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in a significant milestone, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has resumed sending usable data about its onboard engineering systems for the first time since November. The spacecraft, along with its twin Voyager 2, holds the distinction of being the only probes to venture into interstellar space, the vast expanse between stars.

The interruption in data transmission occurred on November 14, 2023, when Voyager 1 ceased sending readable science and engineering data back to Earth. Despite indications of normal operations, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California faced a perplexing challenge. After months of investigation, the Voyager engineering team identified a malfunction in one of the spacecraft’s three onboard computers, known as the flight data subsystem (FDS), responsible for processing and transmitting data to Earth.

The root cause was traced to a faulty chip within the FDS memory, rendering a portion of the system’s software code unusable. Unable to repair the chip, the team devised a novel solution: redistributing the affected code across different areas of the FDS memory. However, due to space constraints, the team had to divide the code into sections and store them separately while ensuring their seamless integration and functionality.

Beginning on April 18, the team initiated the relocation process by transferring the code responsible for packaging the spacecraft’s engineering data to a new location in the FDS memory. Given Voyager 1’s immense distance from Earth—over 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers)—each radio signal exchange with the spacecraft requires approximately 22 ½ hours. Therefore, it wasn’t until April 20 that the team received confirmation of the successful modification, marking the resumption of data transmission after a hiatus of five months.

In the coming weeks, the team will continue to relocate and adjust other affected portions of the FDS software, including those responsible for transmitting science data. Meanwhile, Voyager 2 remains operational, continuing its unprecedented journey into the depths of space. Launched over 46 years ago, the Voyager probes have traversed the outer reaches of our solar system, providing invaluable insights into the cosmos.

As Voyager 1 resumes its mission, it underscores humanity’s enduring spirit of exploration and the remarkable achievements made possible by ingenuity and perseverance in the face of daunting challenges.

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