Voyager 2: probe switches off after an error in the interstellar space

Lost in space: After a problem, technicians from the National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA) try to do that Voyager 2 spacecraft to return to normal operation. This is difficult because of the long signal run times.

On January 25, the probe should rotate 360 ​​degrees. The maneuver was intended to calibrate the magnetometer, one of the probe’s scientific instruments. There was a malfunction reports Nasa: There was a delay in the maneuver, which is why two systems with relatively high energy consumption remained in operation at the same time, which overloaded the power supply.

The on-board software then switched off all scientific instruments to compensate for the performance deficit. As of January 28, NASA technicians successfully switched off one of the systems and switched on the scientific instruments again. However, they do not collect any data yet. Now the status of the other systems is checked, after which the scientific instruments are to be put back into operation.

The problem, however, is the large distance of Voyager from Earth: the probe is now about 18.5 billion kilometers from Earth. The signal runtime is 17 hours in one direction. It takes 34 hours for a response from Voyager to reach NASA again.

Voyager 2 and its sister probe Voyager 1 started in 1977. Both have now left our solar system – first Voyager 1, Voyager 2 followed End of 2018 – and have penetrated into the interstellar space.