The team of engineers operating Voyager 1 are trying to figure out why the robotic interplanetary rover belongs NASA it sends data to Earth whose readings don’t match what it’s working on—focusing on gazing into interstellar space. It’s a mystery that doesn’t seem likely to put Voyager 1 in such a pressing problem, but NASA is still trying to find the answer.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 has been exploring the cosmos for nearly half a century. He has a twin, Voyager 2, who is 16 days his senior in space. Both explore the outer part of the Solar System, traversing the planets and photographing many moons before heading to the outer limits of our cosmic environment.
In 2012, Voyager 1 passed the heliopause – the boundary of the region where the solar wind cannot reach, and the origin of interstellar space. At 14.5 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 is the furthest human-made object currently available.
However, the farther Voyager 1 is from Earth, the tendency for odd things to happen with the spacecraft increases. Currently, the behavioral control and articulation system, or AACS, of the robotic vehicle is becoming more active. AACS is the system responsible for maintaining orientation in space, as well as directing high-gain antenna which is used to send and receive signals from Earth.
As far as the engineers are concerned, AACS still functions as it should. The problem is, the data sent back doesn’t quite describe what the system is doing. “For example, data may appear randomly, or do not reflect the slightest possible conditions for AACS,” NASA said in a statement.
For others, Voyager 1 is said to be doing just fine. He is still communicating with his team of engineers and gathering science data as expected. “And the issue of irregularities with AACS did not make this spacecraft switch to” safe mode,” NASA said, referring to a type of operational procedure in which the energy sources for most instruments are lowered and focused on the functions most needed to keep the spacecraft alive.
Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyager 1 and 2 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, suspects a mystery regarding the age of the Voyager mission. At 45 years old, according to Suzanne, it has far exceeded what Voyager designers had anticipated. “We’re also in interstellar space — a high-radiation environment that a spacecraft has never entered before,” he said.
An improvement can come in the form of a software patch. Or the team that has to get used to the sending of strange data. Adaptation is one way the Voyager team is already familiar.
As is known, the energy source of both Voyager 1 and 2 weakens over time because the nuclear battery used slowly decays. The team has shut down a number of systems on the two robotic probes – in addition to the scientific instruments that can still continue to function.
THE VERGE
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