WASHINGTON, USA: NASA announced this week that Voyager 1, the farthest human-made craft from Earth, is once again sending back data from all four of its scientific instruments. After a hiatus in November, engineers managed to restore communication, enabling the spacecraft to transmit readings on plasma waves, magnetic fields, and space-bound particles.
In April, efforts to revive Voyager 1 saw success as it began transmitting health and status information, followed by science data from two instruments in May. Now, the spacecraft, positioned over 15 billion miles from Earth, is back to “conducting normal science operations.” NASA plans to resynchronize its timekeeping software and conduct maintenance on a sparingly-used digital tape recorder.
Despite being launched in 1977 for a five-year mission to study Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 1 has defied expectations, persisting for nearly 47 years. NASA’s ingenuity in overcoming challenges, such as tapping into reserve power and reactivating dormant thrusters, ensures these probes continue to expand humanity’s understanding of the cosmos.
