The unmanned Voyager 1 space probe has begun sending correct radio signals to Earth again. NASA engineers managed to fix a computer glitch that caused the spacecraft to crash in November.
For the first time in five months after the failure, the Voyager 1 probe sent back to Earth correct data about its condition and the condition of on-board engineering systems, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced on Monday. But engineers still need to fix the software that allows the spacecraft to transmit science data.
Probe failure
Throughout its many years of travel, since its launch in 1977, the spacecraft has transmitted valuable scientific data.
In mid-November 2023, the spacecraft crashed. There was a problem with the data being radioed by the probe to Earth. The code that went to engineers was repeatable, instead of being a unique string of zeros and ones. It was determined that the flight data system (FDS) in one of the three on-board computers was damaged.
Any attempt to restore the probe to proper operation is a significant challenge. The fix is ​​made more difficult by the fact that any commands from Earth take over 22 hours to reach Voyager 1, and it takes the same amount of time for a response back to reach our planet.
Voyager 1 in space – artistic vision Caltech/NASA-JPL
Main photo source: Caltech/NASA-JPL