The Voyager 1 probe, the farthest man-made object from Earth, transmitted readable data for the first time in five monthsNASA reported this Monday (04/22/2024).
The probe, which is about 24 billion kilometers away, had not sent reliable scientific and technical data since Novemberindicated the US space agency.
But NASA teams were able to continue sending commands and the probe, which was launched more than 46 years ago, continued to function normally.
Microchip failure on Voyager 1
The problem was due to a chip in one of the on-board computers.responsible for formatting scientific and technical data before sending it to Earth.
An ingenious solution was finally found and NASA has been able to check the status of the spacecraft for the first time since November.
Sights and sounds of life on Earth
Along with its twin Voyager 2, The two probes are the only ones that have traveled through interstellar space. They carry on board recordings of sounds and images of the Earth on gold and copper plates.
Among them, a map of our solar system, a piece of uranium that serves as a radioactive clock and allows us to date the launch of the spacecraft, and symbolic instructions for playing the record.
The contents of the disk, selected for NASA by a committee chaired by legendary astronomer Carl Sagan, includes coded images of life on Earth, as well as music and sounds which can be played using an included stylus.
Their batteries are expected to run out starting in 2025. Then they will continue to wander the Milky Way, potentially for all eternity, in silence.
Keep reading:
– The exceptional cosmic megaexplosion of a nova that NASA predicts will be visible this year
– Who are and what have the 8 astronauts who traveled to the Moon and are still alive done?
– The incredible images of the James Webb telescope after 2 years in space
