NASA recently lost contact with Voyager 2, the most distant spacecraft in space. About a week ago, Voyager 2’s operators sent a series of commands that accidentally caused the distant probe’s antenna to deviate slightly from Earth, causing NASA to lose contact with it. The space probe has been in operation for nearly half a century and is currently about 19.9 billion kilometers away from Earth.
NASA and the mission’s scientists aren’t panicking. According to an update on Friday, the space agency said Voyager 2 is designed to reset its orientation several times a year to keep its antenna pointing toward Earth. Another reset is scheduled for October 15th, at which time communications should resume. Meanwhile, NASA said it did not expect the spacecraft to veer off course.
“Voyager 1” and “Voyager 2” were launched in 1977 by two different rockets. In the 1970s and 1980s, these two probes conducted a unique large-scale survey of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The Voyager probe has revealed complex planetary systems and stunning moons, such as Titan, with its methane ocean.
And in their later years, the two probes continued to explore. Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, 24 billion kilometers from Earth, have left the solar system, exploring the barren but scientifically interesting interstellar medium. They have remained faithfully connected to Earth until now. Although contact with “Voyager 2” is now lost, it is believed that after a future reset, NASA will be able to restore communication with the distant space probe.
source:arstechnica
