NASA lost contact with the Voyager 2 probe for almost two weeks. The signal from the ship broke off on July 21, and only on August 1 scientists managed to receive a message from the equipment flying through the abyss of space. The failure of the researchers was determined by human error.
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Using multiple antennas, NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) was able to detect the carrier signal from Voyager 2. The carrier signal is what the spacecraft uses to send data back to Earth. The signal is too weak to extract data, but the detection confirms that the spacecraft is still operational.
For many days, the fate of Voyager 2 was unknown. The machine was not receiving signals from Earth, and the messages it sent did not reach the center of the space agency.
Scientists managed to determine that the ship is on the planned trajectory. The ship is currently not accepting commands from Earth. This is because the probe’s antenna is not pointed at our planet. Researchers now want to use special equipment to instruct Voyager 2 to redirect its main antenna. However, if the operation fails, scientists will have to wait for the system reset, which will not take place until October, but will restore the correct position of the antenna.
You might have heard… Voyager 2 is taking a break from sending data until October. In the meantime, I’m out here, almost 15 billion miles (24 billion km) from Earth and doing fine! – V1 More info from our team:
NASAVoyagerJuly 28, 2023
Engineers sent the final set of commands to the spacecraft on July 21. This is routine, but this time there must have been a mistake somewhere. One of the messages turned out to be incorrect. The command that Voyager 2 accepted caused the probe to deflect the antenna by 2 degrees.
The Deep Space network picked up the spacecraft’s carrier signal during its regular sky scan. “It’s a bit like hearing a heartbeat,” said NASA, whose staff did not hide their relief that the spacecraft was still transmitting.
Voyager 2 is an unmanned spacecraft. Its launch in 1977 coincided with a favorable alignment of the planets. The probe visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. But Voyager 2 doesn’t just stop at the planets of the solar system. In November 2018, the ship entered interstellar space.
It is estimated that the power supply of the probe will allow it to function until 2025.
2023-08-03 18:35:14
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