How NASA revived Voyager 1's dead thrusters after 20 years
What's the story
In a major achievement, NASA has revived the backup thrusters of its Voyager 1 interstellar probe. The move is particularly significant as the components had not been used since 2004.
The revival was prompted due to degradation in the spacecraft's primary thrusters from residue buildup.
If these thrusters had failed, it could have led to loss of communication with Earth, as they control Voyager 1's orientation and antenna pointing.
Urgency
Time constraints added to the challenge
The task of reviving the thrusters was further complicated by a strict deadline.
The Earth-based antenna responsible for sending commands to both Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, was set to undergo several months of upgrades starting May 4.
This would have made timely intervention impossible, adding an extra layer of urgency to NASA's mission team.
Achievement
Engineers' ingenuity shines in thruster revival
The revival of Voyager 1's backup roll thrusters was a major achievement for NASA's team.
To fix the issue, they had to reactivate the long-dormant backup roll thrusters and try restarting the heaters that keep them operational.
After a 23-hour wait for a radio signal to travel back to Earth, Voyager responded perfectly.
Within 20 minutes of receiving the signal, the team saw an increase in temperature of the thruster heaters—a sign that the backup thrusters were firing as planned.
Functionality
Backup thrusters play a crucial role in communication
The backup thrusters are critical for performing accurate roll maneuvers to adjust Voyager 1's orientation and keep its antenna directed toward Earth for uninterrupted communication.
The original roll thrusters failed way back in 2004 after two small internal heaters, essential for their operation, lost power and stopped working.
This forced NASA engineers to rely entirely on the backup thrusters to keep the star tracker aligned.
Odyssey
Voyager spacecraft's journey and challenges
Launched in 1977, the twin Voyager spacecraft were originally assigned to explore the outer planets of our solar system.
After completing that mission, they turned their attention to studying interstellar space.
Although they are still operational, major technical issues have emerged due to their age and incredible distance from Earth.
Each year, the radioisotope power generators keeping them running gradually weaken.
Innovation
NASA's creative solutions and recent success
NASA recently had to shut down certain instruments and heaters to conserve energy for extending the operational life of these spacecraft.
A data glitch caused by a faulty chip on Voyager 1 was resolved using a clever software workaround.
The revival of Voyager 1's backup thrusters is another testament to the innovative engineering behind these spacecraft and offers another lifeline for them.