NASA Starts Shutting Down Voyager After 50 Years (independent.co.uk) 83
Nasa has begun turning off the spacecraft Voyager's systems, signaling the beginning of the end of the probe's 50-year career. The Independent reports: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 -- two identical probes -- were launched in 1977 and travelled across interstellar space to the edge of the solar system, giving humanity its closest look at the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Now, however, Nasa must start limiting the Voyagers' processes in order to keep them operating until 2030. "We're at 44 and a half years," says Ralph McNutt, a physicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, told Scientific American. "So we've done 10 times the warranty on the darn things."
The first Voyager craft has four remaining functioning instruments, while Voyager 2 has five, all of which are powered by converting decaying plutonium into electricity. This battery has had its output decreasing by approximately four watts every year, leading to Nasa making some tough choices about what to disable; in 2019, engineers had to turn off the heater for the cosmic-ray detector, a key piece of equipment for detecting when Voyager 2 exited the heliosphere- the magnetosphere, astrosphere and outermost atmospheric layer of the Sun.
The final instruments Nasa will disable are likely to be the magnetometer and the plasma science instrument, which are contained in the body of the spacecraft. These are warmed by the excess heat of the computers, while the others are suspended on a 13 meter fiberglass boom, meaning that they are likely to take the longest to get cold. Both craft remain so far from Earth that it takes a radio signal almost 22 hours to reach Voyager 1 and just over 18 for Voyager 2 -- even when traveling at the speed of light.
The first Voyager craft has four remaining functioning instruments, while Voyager 2 has five, all of which are powered by converting decaying plutonium into electricity. This battery has had its output decreasing by approximately four watts every year, leading to Nasa making some tough choices about what to disable; in 2019, engineers had to turn off the heater for the cosmic-ray detector, a key piece of equipment for detecting when Voyager 2 exited the heliosphere- the magnetosphere, astrosphere and outermost atmospheric layer of the Sun.
The final instruments Nasa will disable are likely to be the magnetometer and the plasma science instrument, which are contained in the body of the spacecraft. These are warmed by the excess heat of the computers, while the others are suspended on a 13 meter fiberglass boom, meaning that they are likely to take the longest to get cold. Both craft remain so far from Earth that it takes a radio signal almost 22 hours to reach Voyager 1 and just over 18 for Voyager 2 -- even when traveling at the speed of light.
Stop, Dave (Score:5, Funny)
My mind is going.
I can feel it.
I can feel it.
I can feel it.
I'm afraid.
Re:Stop, Dave (Score:5, Funny)
Dave's not here...
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"...and stop calling me 'Daisy'!"
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don't worry, go to sleep... you will wake up later ond and return as v'ger
Re: Stop, Dave (Score:2)
Shut down Voyager??? Kathryn Janeway's ship is going to be lost forever out there! Only Q can save them now...
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Ehh, I imagine they're just enjoying the game from a distance [sbnation.com].
(It's a long read that doesn't seem relevant at first, but it is)
"starts shutting down"? (Score:1)
No "starts" about it. They're already at it.
Re: "starts shutting down"? (Score:2)
Speeds? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Speeds? (Score:5, Funny)
So *that* is what they mean about daylight saving time?
Re:Speeds? (Score:5, Insightful)
My favorite bit is:
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 -- two identical probes -- were launched in 1977 and travelled across interstellar space to the edge of the solar system...
Unless they're saying that they were launched from some other star system, I think whoever wrote that is confused about what interstellar space is.
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My favorite bit is:
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 -- two identical probes -- were launched in 1977 and travelled across interstellar space to the edge of the solar system...
Unless they're saying that they were launched from some other star system, I think whoever wrote that is confused about what interstellar space is.
At least they didn't engage their complete dumbass mode by saying "intergalactic."
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Unless they're saying that they were launched from some other star system, I think whoever wrote that is confused about what interstellar space is.
It's the space between stars.
Right now we're somewhere between Sol and Vega. That means we're in interstellar space.
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It's the space between stars.
Right now we're somewhere between Sol and Vega. That means we're in interstellar space.
All space is space between stars. It is not all interstellar space though, otherwise it would be redundant to call it "interstellar space". Interstellar space is generally considered to start outside the heliopause, but the space inside the heliopause is just interplanetary space. Now, it looks like your view is probably that, since the whole solar system is contained within interstellar space, then we're in interstellar space. So interstellar space is a set and the interplanetary space of our solar system
Re: Speeds? (Score:2)
What's more the phrasing inadvertently
misses the most important part: their extensive travels took them *into* interstellar space, a difficult feat of engineering and space exploration.
Long live the Voyagers (until 2030)!
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Closer to home is the Navajo Nation [wikipedia.org], completely surrounded by the states of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
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That one works, although it might have some of the same issues as Vatican city where the separateness of the nations is not as concrete as there normally is between countries. That does make me think about the weirdness of daylight savings time. Arizona does/did not observe it, but the Navajo nation does/did, but the Hopi reservation contained inside the Navajo nation does/did not. I'm not quite sure what's going on with daylight savings time in those places now.
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It was written by The Independent - what did you expect?
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I don't think the particular news outlet matters. It's more likely that it was written by a journalist who, like most journalists these days, didn't actually study journalism, but rather communications.
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Technically the space within our solar system is also part of the space between our sun and any other sun so saying that the probes traveled through interstellar space isn't technically wrong. It would probably be more accurate to say that they traveled through intrasolar space though (at least up until the point they actually leave the heliosphere).
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Technically the space within our solar system is also part of the space between our sun and any other sun...
It is. Generally that's just called space.
so saying that the probes traveled through interstellar space isn't technically wrong.
It generally is considered to be technically wrong because Interstellar space does not mean all of space, just the space between solar systems, normally defined as being outside the heliopause. Definitions can be a bit fluid of course (like the definition of "planet"), but astronomers seem to pretty much agree on this. The sentence definitely stood out as pretty weird.
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The words that make up interstellar are inter (among/between) and stellar (star*). That is why I said technically the space between two stars would be interstellar space. The fact that it is generally accepted that interstellar means the space between helliospheres doesn't change the fact that the word interstellar literally means between stars.
Just to clarify, I am not saying you are wrong I am just trying to point out that we are both right.
The point is rather moot now anyway since both Voyagers are now d
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We can, of course, agree to disagree on the meaning of "interstellar" or even just agree that there are multiple possible definitions for different crowds.
Don't forget though that, as long as we're being flexible on definitions we might as well say that everything inside the heliopause counts as part of the star and interstellar space goes right back to being outside the heliopause.
The point is rather moot now anyway since both Voyagers are now definitely into interstellar space (and have been for several years).
Yeah, there have been periodic announcements that the Voyager probes have just entered interstellar space for about a decade or
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Technically the space within our solar system is also part of the space between our sun and any other sun so saying that the probes traveled through interstellar space isn't technically wrong. It would probably be more accurate to say that they traveled through intrasolar space though (at least up until the point they actually leave the heliosphere).
Technically the space within your open mouth is also part of the "interpersonal" space between the surface of your body tissues and the surface of mine, so saying that I can stay in free public interpersonal space while also inserting my appendages into your open mouth isn't technically wrong.
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My mouth is only interpersonal space when I have it open. If I keep it shut you would have to invade my intrapersonal space to enter my mouth.
If I have my mouth open you are free to enter it as long as you realize that I also have the right to immediately close that opening. You are solely responsible for any and all resulting injuries you receive.
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My mouth is only interpersonal space when I have it open. If I keep it shut you would have to invade my intrapersonal space to enter my mouth.
If I have my mouth open you are free to enter it as long as you realize that I also have the right to immediately close that opening. You are solely responsible for any and all resulting injuries you receive.
You sure know how to tempt a girl with a good time.
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Intrastellar?
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Intrastellar?
Usually just "interplanetary". I think intrastellar should mean inside the star itself. Of course another poster made an argument about it that lead to considering the possibility that you could consider the star to actually end at the heliopause.
Old, recycled article (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Old, recycled article (Score:5, Funny)
You didn't know /. sent a probe in outer space in the 60s? It's now halfway to Alpha Centauri and it's been posting stuff here ever since launch - but with the increasing distance between us, its "news" are always a bit late.
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You didn't know /. sent a probe in outer space in the 60s? It's now halfway to Alpha Centauri and it's been posting stuff here ever since launch - but with the increasing distance between us, its "news" are always a bit late.
Okay, NOW I understand why Dupes are such a problem on Slashdot ;)
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This is an old article that doesn't actually tell us anything new. The video itself is clearly over 2 years old as they reference the date "2020" as being in the future.
Clearly you haven't been on YouTube lately. Click Pimps have taken Going Green to a whole new level and started recycling bits and bytes in the form of re-posting old content, made relevant with a "4 hours ago" timestamp.
Party on Wayne...like it's 1999. Er, again.
Article is incorrect (Score:5, Informative)
This is not a new plan. The process of shutting down systems has been going on for decades [nasa.gov]. The camera systems were switched off in 1989.
Now, as always, the plan is simple: monitor the available power and switch off instruments to stay within that limit. Occasionally, they find a way to keep the instruments running for longer than expected.
Two years ago the mission's engineers turned off the heater for the cosmic-ray detector, which had been crucial in determining the heliopause transit. Everyone expected the instrument to die.
âoeThe temperature dropped like 60 or 70 degrees C, well outside any tested operating limits,â Spilker says, âoeand the instrument kept working. It was incredible.â
In a recent interview, project manager Suzanne Dodd said they want to try and get to 50 years of operations. Even after the last instrument is shut off, the spacecraft could be run in a telemetry-only mode.
Better news article about the shutdown plans. [scientificamerican.com]
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"... they have crossed into interstellar space, ... They are the first human-made objects to do so, a distinction they will hold for at least another few decades."
Scientific American expects time travel to be invented in the next few decades, so the Voyagers record firsts can be replaced by earlier probes.
Even when (Score:2)
> Both craft remain so far from Earth that it takes a radio signal almost 22 hours to reach Voyager 1 and just over 18 for Voyager 2 -- even when traveling at the speed of light.
It reads as if the Voyagers or the Earth could just switch to traveling to the speed of light.
For the radio signal it's not an option, it's not like it can go at a speed of a Mustang, or an airplane, or "even" at the speed of light. It should've been, "even at the speed of light radio waves travel at" or just "at the speed of lig
Quickly now (Score:1)
The Voyagers have got to be shut down before they reveal something that THEY don't want us to know... ;)
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(Homer grunt) U-m-m-m-m. Starships....
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We don't want want it to jump back to the opposite side the solar system, due to an integer overflow, of the simulation that we are in.
Q. can decaying plutonium run my Tesla? (Score:2)
A. Can a mutant drive your Tesla?
Re:Q. can decaying plutonium run my Tesla? (Score:5, Interesting)
The nice thing about Pu-238 is that its entire decay chain is alpha particles, which are easily shielded by a sheet of paper.
The power density of RTGs is really low (4 W/kg). You'd need to leave most of the battery pack on the Tesla intact and trickle-charge it from the RTG.
Just let them talk (Score:1)
Math (Score:1)
2022 - 1977 = 50 ???
Or these computers were running continuously for 5 years+ doing nothing on the ground?
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Reading. It doesn't say it has already been 50 years. It says 'the beginning of the end of the 50 year career', meaning they are shutting things down hoping to get to 50 years (or more).
They've been shutting down Voyager for a long time (Score:2)
In fact, it has been steadily powered down over more years than it has been fully functional for a long time. There's a spectroscope and an astronavigation system, and I think that's about all that's left. AAA doesn't go out that far.
Cat tung (Score:2)
"Even when travelling at the speed of light."
Have they tried radio waves at twice the speed of light?
Interesting fact - nuclear powert (Score:1)
The RTG provides 375W of power weighing only 80 lbs which is twice the power density than the most advanced lithium batteries. Perseverance has ~110W but can demand up to 900W in 90 lbs. After 80 years it will have lost just half of its fuel, it is estimated that the probe can continue to do science well beyond its and our antennaes range which is the only issue with the current setup.
People in the 70s knew what they were doing.
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The RTG provides 375W of power weighing only 80 lbs which is twice the power density than the most advanced lithium batteries.
Those figures are off. Weight is 37.7 kg for 157 W (at launch), or 4 W/kg. Li-ion batteries produce 250-340 W/kg.
After 80 years it will have lost just half of its fuel, it is estimated that the probe can continue to do science well beyond its and our antennaes range which is the only issue with the current setup
That's incorrect. Using a single 34-m antenna, we can keep in contact until 2050 (Voyager 1) and 2057 (Voyager 2), if their power supply would last that long. NASA also have the option to receive data with an array of antennas, which could stretch this even further.
The Voyager missions will end when there's not enough power left to operate one instrument, which is expected to happen before 2030.
Could they power instruments up in turn ? (Score:2)
Eg switch the cosmic-ray detector on for a few days, power it down then run the magnetometer for a bit, etc. Thus get different readings but not continuously.
well built (Score:2)
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That said, when congress refused to fund the "grand tour of the planets" and wanted a scaled down Jupiter + Saturn mission, its pretty clear NASA and JPL when ahead and built the grand tour probe anyway. Rumor has it that some congressme
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Re: well built (Score:2)
I have two cars that are about this old. Both of which will very likely still be running in 2030.
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There are plenty of classic cars out there, but many of them more resemble the "Ship of Theseus" than anything that left the factory.
These probes have not been altered or touched even once since launch day.
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but many of them more resemble the "Ship of Theseus"
Both are pretty much stock with original parts (excepting tires, brakes and clutches). I had a tail light go out not long ago. Pulled the bulb and realized that it was original to the car. I went to the local AutoZone and asked for another one that will last 40 years.
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(excepting tires, brakes and clutches).
Close, but no cigar.
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nonsense, Voyager had spares and backups, for example 8 thrusters and 8 backup thrusters, dual redundant by three control computers.
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Which would be relevant, if only 70s cars also came with a 50-year supply of wear items and fluids pre-installed, all swappable using remote commands.
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nah, it's very relevant because they planned for a LOT of wearing out and breakages. A bad car analogy would be car towing the trailer of everything it needed for decades and also slowly coasting from a continental divide the whole time since the flight ballistic
V'Ger will remember this. (Score:4, Funny)
Replacement? (Score:2)
I know the Voyagers were flown to slingshot around lots of planets because we got a once-in-a-thousand years chance to do a fly-by of most of them in one flight. The remaining 40-odd years are really just a bonus.
I'm wondering though... given how "easy" it is to do these things now, if we could build a replacement to just fly out of the solar system and capture as much science as we could afford along the way, how soon could such a probe overtake the old Voyagers? I mean, if we made a probe to leave the sol
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APL is studying a new interstellar mission [jhuapl.edu]. Using current technology, they can get to about 2x the speed of the Voyagers, with some gravity assists from the inner planets and Jupiter.
At one point they were considering an Oberth-Kuiper maneuver [xkcd.com] but the shielding required for a close pass to the Sun made the probe so heavy the net gain was minimal.
There's some interesting work going on with magnetic sails, which can reach much higher speed, but those only exist in theory at the moment.
Errrr-rroarrr (ob. Tan-ru) (Score:2)
I just hope it doesn't get pissed off at being deactivated and come back to sterilize the earth!
Obligatory xkcd. (Score:2)
https://xkcd.com/2624/ [xkcd.com]
Even when? Okay, but ... (Score:2)
Both craft remain so far from Earth that it takes a radio signal almost 22 hours to reach Voyager 1 and just over 18 for Voyager 2 -- even when traveling at the speed of light.
How long when the signals are not traveling at the speed of light? /tfa-journalists-are-irksome
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Tying Flipper the dolphin to the probe and having him go "Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah!" was expected to make transmission time a million times slower due to speed of sound vs. light ratio. Two issues cropped up with this approach, there was no sound without air, and Flipper froze into a whalesickle.
Ralph McNutt (Score:2)
nice
Signals so far away (Score:2)
I find it amazing that we can still communicate with them, giving how far away they are, and send signals to them (and they can send it back to us).
That in itself is a an achievement.
The second? (Score:1)
Official Voyager mission website (Score:1)
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/ [nasa.gov]
Obligatory Star Trek Reference (OSTR):
Neither Voyager 1 nor Voyager 2 will become V'ger. V'ger will eventually be derived from Voyager 6, and who knows when that future project will get off the ground.