Tag: Spacecraft

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Voyager One phones home for the first time in 5 months

Voyager One

Voyager 1, launched in September 1977, holds the distinction of being the furthest human-made object from Earth.

It embarked on an incredible journey, venturing beyond the boundaries of our solar system and into interstellar space.

Here’s the latest update on this iconic spacecraft

Communication

On 14th November 2023, Voyager 1 experienced an unexpected glitch, rendering its binary communication code with NASA’s flight team incomprehensible.

However, after several months of indecipherable signals, Voyager 1 has resumed clear communication with Earth. On 20th April2024, the spacecraft reported back to its NASA team, detailing its health status for the first time in five months.

Although it is not yet transmitting scientific data, Voyager 1 is providing valuable information regarding the health and functionality of its onboard engineering systems.

Historic

Thirty-five years post-launch, Voyager 1 marked a milestone as the first human-made object to exit the solar system and enter interstellar space.

Six years thereafter, in 2018, Voyager 2 emulated its predecessor, venturing beyond the sun’s dominion. Together, these spacecraft stand as humanity’s lone envoys in the cosmic expanse, bearing our scientific endeavours and inquisitive spirit.

Technical repair

In March, the team operating NASA’s Voyager 1 sent a command to the spacecraft, which triggered its flight data subsystem (FDS) to transmit a complete memory readout to Earth.

The analysis of the memory dump reportedly indicated that the malfunction was due to a piece of corrupted code on a single chip, accounting for approximately 3% of the FDS’s memory.

While it’s not possible to physically repair or replace the chip, the team is adeptly shifting the problematic code within the FDS’s memory. This process apparently involves dividing the code into segments and reallocating them to different storage areas, with the goal of maintaining the smooth operation of Voyager 1’s systems.

Clever

Ultimately, Voyager 1’s recent successful communication serves as a remarkable example of human creativity and determination in space exploration. Even from its extraordinary distance from Earth, the venerable spacecraft continues to provide important updates on its status and insights into the unknowns of interstellar space.

15 billion miles and counting

Voyager 1 is approximately 15 billion miles from home. It takes about 1 day for information to travel from Voyager to Earth. Voyager 1 is travelling at an estimated speed of: 38026

Voyage One mission status

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Spacecraft to return from asteroid mission with precious cargo

Osiris-Rex Space Craft Artwork

NASA mission

Osiris-Rex is a NASA mission that aims to collect and return a sample from asteroid Bennu, which is believed to be a remnant of the early solar system. The mission hopes to learn more about the origins of life on Earth and the potential for asteroid mining in the future.

Osiris-Rex stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. The spacecraft launched in 2016 and arrived at Bennu in 2018. It spent two years mapping and studying the asteroid before successfully collecting a sample of about 300 grams (10.6 ounces) of dust and rocks in October 2020.

Asteroid Bennu

Capsule

The sample capsule is now on its way back to Earth and is expected to land in Utah on September 24, 2023. Scientists are eager to analyze the material and look for clues about how the solar system formed and how organic molecules that are essential for life were delivered to Earth.

Osiris-Rex is also planning an extended mission to visit another near-Earth asteroid called Apophis in 2029. Apophis is considered a potentially hazardous asteroid because it has a small chance of hitting Earth in the future. Osiris-Rex will observe and measure Apophis to improve our understanding of its orbit and characteristics.

Nasa’s Osiris-Rex capsule will come screaming into Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday 24th September 2023 at more than 15 times the speed of a bullet.

It will make a fireball in the sky but a heat shield will protect the craft. Parachutes will then deploy to slow the descent and bring it to a gentle touchdown in Utah’s West Desert.

Bringing with it a special space cargo that may help the human race discover the origin of life.

Sampling an Asteroid

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Remarkable feat of human ingenuity

Voyager 1

Voyage 2 Spacecraft

The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a remarkable feat of human exploration and discovery. It was launched in 1977, along with its twin Voyager 1, to explore the outer planets of our solar system. It is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune, and it is now the second most distant human-made object in space, after Voyager 1.

Deep space

However, communicating with such a faraway spacecraft is not easy. It requires a powerful radio antenna that can send and receive signals across billions of miles. NASA uses its Deep Space Network (DSN), a network of giant radio dishes around the world, to keep in touch with Voyager 2 and other deep space missions.

Unfortunately, sometimes things can go wrong. On July 21, 2023, NASA accidentally sent a wrong command to Voyager 2 that caused it to tilt its antenna away from Earth. This meant that the spacecraft could not receive any more commands or send back any data. NASA lost contact with Voyager 2 for nearly two weeks.

Keep talking

But NASA did not give up. The engineers tried to send a corrective command to Voyager 2 using the DSN, hoping that the spacecraft would somehow pick it up and respond.

Imaginary watercolour image of Deep Space
Imaginary watercolour image of Deep Space

On August 1, 2023, NASA finally received a signal from Voyager 2. It was a faint ‘heartbeat‘ that confirmed that the spacecraft was still alive and broadcasting. NASA was overjoyed and relieved to hear from its old friend.

On August 4, 2023, NASA announced that it had successfully restored full contact with Voyager 2. The engineers had managed to send an ‘interstellar shout’ to the spacecraft, a powerful command that instructed it to point its antenna back to Earth. It took 37 hours for the command to reach Voyager 2 and another 37 hours for the confirmation to come back. It worked!  Voyager 2 was back online and ready to resume its mission.

Amazing

Voyager 2 is an amazing example of human ingenuity and perseverance. It has been exploring space for nearly half a century, and it is still going strong. It has taught us so much about our solar system and beyond, and it continues to send us valuable data from the interstellar space. We are lucky to have such a faithful companion in our cosmic journey

Voyager 1 is an amazing spacecraft that has been exploring the outer solar system and beyond for over 45 years. It is currently the most distant human-made object from Earth, and it is still sending us valuable data from interstellar space.

According to the latest information from NASA, as of April 7, 2023, Voyager 1 is about 14,803,648,909 miles (23,837,577,852 kilometers) away from Earth.  That is equivalent to 160.154936 astronomical units (AU), which is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. 

To put that in perspective, it would take light about 22 hours and 4 minutes to travel from Voyager 1 to Earth. That means that we are receiving signals from Voyager 1 that were sent almost a day ago! It takes approximately 8 minutes for light to travel from the Sun to planet Earth

Voyager 1 is also moving away from Earth at a speed of about 38,026.77 miles per hour (or 61,198.15 kilometers per hour) relative to the Sun. That means that it is getting farther and farther away from us every second. At this rate, it will take Voyager 1 about 40,000 years to reach the nearest star system to our Sun, which is Alpha Centauri.

Futuristc Space Travel
A vision of futuristc space travel

Voyager 1 is a testament to human curiosity and ingenuity. It has taught us so much about our solar system and beyond, and it continues to inspire us to explore the unknown.

Nice one Voyager 1

Explore

NASA’s StarChild: This is a website that offers information and activities for children about stars and other astronomical topics.

Stellarium: This is a free software that simulates the sky in 3D and allows you to explore the stars and constellations from any location and time.

StarDate: This is a website that provides daily updates on the sky events, such as star sightings, eclipses, meteor showers, and planetary alignments.