NASA is turning off some science tools on its Voyager spacecraft to save energy. This decision helps the missions last longer.
Voyager 2 will switch off its instrument that measures charged particles and cosmic rays later this month. Just last week, NASA turned off a similar instrument on Voyager 1. Suzanne Dodd, the Voyager project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained that these changes are necessary to extend their missions.
The Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977 and are currently floating in interstellar space, which is the area between stars. Voyager 1 made significant discoveries, including finding a faint ring around Jupiter and several moons of Saturn. Voyager 2 is unique because it has visited both Uranus and Neptune.
Even with the shut-offs, both spacecraft still have three instruments each that continue to study the sun’s protective bubble and the vast space beyond it. Voyager 1 is now over 15 billion miles from Earth, while Voyager 2 is more than 13 billion miles away.
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Source linkSpace launches, Spacecraft, Space exploration, Aerospace technology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Aerospace and defense industry, Science, Suzanne Dodd
