Voyager 1, the historic spacecraft that has been exploring the cosmos for over four decades, is facing a critical computer glitch that has left NASA engineers scrambling to save the mission. The glitch, which occurred on November 14, has hindered Voyager 1’s ability to transmit telemetry data back to Earth, leaving the team in the dark about the spacecraft’s propulsion, power, and control systems.
Suzanne Dodd, the Voyager project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expressed both hope and concern about the situation. “It would be the biggest miracle if we get it back. We certainly haven’t given up,” she said. “There are other things we can try. But this is, by far, the most serious since I’ve been project manager.”
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, holds the record for being the most distant spacecraft from Earth, currently over 15 billion miles away. Its sister spacecraft, Voyager 2, launched just 16 days earlier and has also ventured into interstellar space. Both probes have provided invaluable data about cosmic rays, magnetic fields, and the plasma environment in interstellar space.
The recent problem with Voyager 1 lies in its Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), one of three computers on board. The FDS collects data from the spacecraft’s sensors and combines it into a binary code data package that is transmitted back to Earth. However, since November, the data packages have been exhibiting a repeating pattern of 1s and 0s, indicating a potential memory corruption issue.
Engineers at JPL have been working tirelessly to diagnose the problem but have been unable to pinpoint the exact cause due to the lack of detailed telemetry data. The team believes that a bit of corrupted memory in the FDS is likely responsible for the glitch. However, without access to telemetry, they cannot determine where the memory corruption occurred.
To address the issue, the ground team plans to send commands to Voyager 1 in the coming weeks to try to isolate the corrupted memory within the FDS computer. This involves transitioning the computer to different operating modes that were last used during the spacecraft’s encounters with Jupiter and Saturn in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The hope is that these different data modes will reveal which part of the FDS memory needs correction.
However, this process is not as straightforward as it may seem. The data modes that engineers plan to use haven’t been utilized in over 40 years, and the documentation for Voyager’s systems is mostly in paper form, requiring a sort of “archaeology dig” to access the necessary information. Despite the challenges, the team remains determined to find a solution.
The Voyager mission has always been a testament to human ingenuity and resilience. With fewer than a dozen people working on the project, the team has had to rely on archived documents and their expertise to troubleshoot various issues over the years. The spacecraft itself has no backups, so a failure in any part could potentially halt the mission.
Furthermore, Voyager 1 is running on borrowed time. Its nuclear batteries produce less electricity each year as their power sources decay, and by the late 2020s, NASA will have to start turning off instruments on both Voyager spacecraft due to declining power. This adds urgency to the current situation, as managers understand that they cannot spend too long deliberating on the best course of action.
Sending commands to Voyager 1 is also a time-consuming process. Due to the spacecraft’s vast distance and position in the southern sky, operators at JPL must wait over 45 hours for a response. The Deep Space Network tracking site in Australia, with its 230-foot antenna, is used to communicate with Voyager 1 but is in high demand.
Despite the challenges and uncertainties, the team remains hopeful and committed to saving Voyager 1. The spacecraft has exceeded all expectations and continues to push the boundaries of human exploration. As Suzanne Dodd aptly puts it, “We want to do the right thing, but we can’t hem and haw over what the right thing is. We need to look at things methodically and logically, make a decision, and go for it.”
The story of Voyager 1’s computer glitch serves as a reminder of the incredible achievements of the Voyager mission and the dedicated team behind it. As we anxiously await updates on the spacecraft’s status, we can only hope for a miraculous recovery that will allow Voyager 1 to continue its journey into the unknown depths of space.
