NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft is no longer generating enough electricity to power all of its scientific instruments. But the NASA team came up with an innovative solution.
PASADENA – When they launched in the summer of 1977, no one could have guessed how long the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes would remain active. Two NASA probes have been flying through space for more than 45 years and have long since left the heliosphere. Experts admit that it is a kind of protective covering made of particles and magnetic fields generated by the sun. The two spacecraft provided scientists with data about the shape of the heliosphere and its role in protecting Earth from radiation from outer space.
“The science data that Voyager sent back to Earth becomes more valuable the further it travels from the sun,” said Linda Spilker, Voyager project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). communication. “We are really interested in preserving as many scientific instruments as possible for as long as possible.”
NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft has an electrical problem
More than 45 years after the spacecraft’s launch, a source of electricity is slowly becoming problematic: Both Voyager probes are powered by radionuclide batteries (RTGs), which convert heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium into energy. But every year the generators produce less electricity – which has so far not affected the spacecraft’s scientific work. So far, heaters and other systems have been disabled to provide sufficient power for the scientific instruments.
But now it’s time for “Voyager 2”: after that, one of the five science instruments must be turned off in order to have enough power for the remaining instruments. With Voyager 1, this problem will not emerge until next year, because four instruments are still active on board—one of which had failed early in the mission.
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The NASA team found a solution: Voyager 2 received backup power
When looking for ways to save electricity to keep valuable scientific data flowing, the team at JPL have actually found a solution. In the future, Voyager 2 will have back-up power from a safety mechanism designed to compensate for voltage fluctuations on board so it can continue to operate all five science instruments. “Even after more than 45 years, the electrical systems of the two probes remain relatively stable, so there is no need for a safety net,” said the JPL statement. Plus, the engineering team can monitor the voltage from the ground and react if it fluctuates too much.
“We found that the risk is low and the alternative offers great payoff because scientific instruments can last longer,” said Susan Dodd, Voyager project lead at JPL. “We have been monitoring the investigation for several weeks, and this new approach appears to be working.” If the new power-saving measure proves successful, it should also be applied to Voyager 1 after the power supply there becomes scarce.
The Voyager mission initially lasted only four years
The two “Voyager” space probes had to be active for only four years and during this time they had to visit the planets Saturn and Jupiter. After an extended NASA mission, “Voyager 2” visited the ice giants Neptune and Uranus and is still considered the only spacecraft to visit these two ice giants. Several years ago, researchers found evidence of a special phenomenon on the planet Uranus in old data from the Voyager 2 spacecraft. (billion unpaid)
2023-04-29 03:44:27
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