NASA shuts off Voyager 1 low-energy charged particles experiment
Technology
NASA just switched off one of Voyager 1's science instruments, the Low-Energy Charged Particles experiment, to save power and help the legendary spacecraft last into the 2030s.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 runs on a slowly fading nuclear battery, so every bit of energy counts if we want to keep hearing from it.
Voyager 1 still collecting sensor data
Even with this shutdown, Voyager 1 is still collecting data with its plasma wave and magnetic field sensors as it cruises over 15 billion miles from Earth.
Messages now take more than 23 hours each way.
NASA's main goal is to keep the most important systems running so we can stay connected with humanity's farthest explorer for as long as possible.