Voyager 1 transmitting data again after NASA remotely fixes 46-year-old probe

[AlexB23]

So, @essentialsaltes posted a few months ago how the Voyager 1 probe had a computer issue. Now, that issue has been fixed. Seems that the old probe just wants to keep on trucking. And yes, the 22 hours 30 minutes it takes for a signal to reach Voyager 1 are converted into days (0.94 days) for your convenience: Voyager 1 transmitting data again after Nasa remotely fixes 46-year-old probe


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

In an article published on April 23, 2024, by The Guardian's Oliver Holmes, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, the most distant human-made object in space, has started communicating properly again with NASA after engineers worked for months to remotely fix a problem with one of its onboard computers. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 was initially designed for a five-year mission to study Jupiter and Saturn but has continued operating for over four decades. It became the first human-made object to enter interstellar space in 2012 and is currently traveling at 37,800 mph (60,821 km/h).

The recent problem was related to a faulty computer chip, and the team had to move corrupted code elsewhere, a challenging process considering the old technology used by Voyager 1. Despite this issue, the spacecraft has continued operating normally and has made numerous scientific discoveries throughout its journey, including detailed recordings of Saturn, the discovery of Jupiter's rings, and the identification of active volcanism on one of Jupiter's moons. With limited solar power due to their distance from the sun, Voyager 1 and its sister probe, Voyager 2, rely on the natural radioactive decay of Pu to generate electricity. In about 40K years, both probes will approach relatively close to two stars: Voyager 1 to a star in Ursa Minor and Voyager 2 to Ross 248 in Andromeda.

Edited 4/26/24: I meant to say 40,000 years, not 4,000 years

 

[Halbhh]

So, @essentialsaltes posted a few months ago how the Voyager 1 probe had a computer issue. Now, that issue has been fixed. Seems that the old probe just wants to keep on trucking. And yes, the 22 hours 30 minutes it takes for a signal to reach Voyager 1 are converted into days (0.94 days) for your convenience: Voyager 1 transmitting data again after Nasa remotely fixes 46-year-old probe


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

In an article published on April 23, 2024, by The Guardian's Oliver Holmes, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, the most distant human-made object in space, has started communicating properly again with NASA after engineers worked for months to remotely fix a problem with one of its onboard computers. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 was initially designed for a five-year mission to study Jupiter and Saturn but has continued operating for over four decades. It became the first human-made object to enter interstellar space in 2012 and is currently traveling at 37,800 mph (60,821 km/h).

The recent problem was related to a faulty computer chip, and the team had to move corrupted code elsewhere, a challenging process considering the old technology used by Voyager 1. Despite this issue, the spacecraft has continued operating normally and has made numerous scientific discoveries throughout its journey, including detailed recordings of Saturn, the discovery of Jupiter's rings, and the identification of active volcanism on one of Jupiter's moons. With limited solar power due to their distance from the sun, Voyager 1 and its sister probe, Voyager 2, rely on the natural radioactive decay of Pu to generate electricity. In about 4K years, both probes will approach relatively close to two stars: Voyager 1 to a star in Ursa Minor and Voyager 2 to Ross 248 in Andromeda.

The really cool more recent thing the Voyager probes have encountered and given us data about is the heliopause -- the end of the area of the sun's influence, where suddenly there is a change in radiation and so on, which is vastly further out into space than the outer planets.

It was a very significant discovery actually about how dramatic the change was at the heliopause -- more than expected it seemed -- which boundary changes had been just theory and estimate until suddenly we got real data from the voyager probes!

 

[AlexB23]

The really cool more recent thing the Voyager probes have encountered and given us data about is the heliopause -- the end of the area of the sun's influence, where suddenly there is a change in radiation and so on, which is vastly further out into space than the outer planets.

It was a very significant discovery actually about how dramatic the change was at the heliopause -- more than expected it seemed -- which boundary changes had been just theory and estimate until suddenly we got real data from the voyager probes!

Yeah, since 2012 or so, and we now have info about the interstellar medium.

 

[SelfSim]

Interesting graphic showing Voyager 1's distance relative to nearby stars over time (from Wiki):

Not sure about how long the communications link will remain viable, though .. Does anyone have any updates on this aspect?

PS: I guess the RTG's lifetime will constrain the achievable comms distance .. 87.7 year half life for Pu238.

 

[AlexB23]

Interesting graphic showing Voyager 1's distance relative to nearby stars over time (from Wiki):

View attachment 346486

Not sure about how long the communications link will remain viable, though .. Does anyone have any updates on this aspect?

PS: I guess the RTG's lifetime will constrain the achievable comms distance .. 87.7 year half life for Pu238.

Well, the Voyager probes are expected to run out of electricity in the 2030s or so: When will we get the final message from NASA's Voyager spacecraft?

 

[SelfSim]

Well, the Voyager probes are expected to run out of electricity in the 2030s or so: When will we get the final message from NASA's Voyager spacecraft?

Thanks for that!
The NASA Voyager site (FAQs) says:

'Even if science data won't likely be collected after 2025, engineering data could continue to be returned for several more years. The two Voyager spacecraft could remain in the range of the Deep Space Network {DSN} through about 2036, depending on how much power the spacecraft still have to transmit a signal back to Earth'.

Notice the design of the DSN becomes the limiting factor here.

My line of query here is really about the actual known maximum distance over which radio communications has been, (or will have been), achieved.
SETI enthusiasts imagine far greater distance radios comms is achievable in order to establish dialogue with their believed-in, beloved ETIs.

Nowadays, laser based comms is likely to expand these distances by orders of magnitude .. (albeit requiring a totally different bunch of ground segment limiting criteria). I think laser comms represents a major breakthrough, so SETI radio technology is now virtually obsolete in this particular modern-day hunt for the Holy Grail.

 

[AlexB23]

Thanks for that!
The NASA Voyager site (FAQs) says:

'Even if science data won't likely be collected after 2025, engineering data could continue to be returned for several more years. The two Voyager spacecraft could remain in the range of the Deep Space Network {DSN} through about 2036, depending on how much power the spacecraft still have to transmit a signal back to Earth'.

Notice the design of the DSN becomes the limiting factor here.

My line of query here is really about the actual known maximum distance over which radio communications has been, (or will have been), achieved.
SETI enthusiasts imagine far greater distance radios comms is achievable in order to establish dialogue with their believed-in, beloved ETIs.

Nowadays, laser based comms is likely to expand these distances by orders of magnitude .. (albeit requiring a totally different bunch of ground segment limiting criteria). I think laser comms represents a major breakthrough, so SETI radio technology is now virtually obsolete in this particular modern-day hunt for the Holy Grail.

The Voyagers are not equipped with lasers, but we could use lasers to communicate with ET. No one knows how far radio waves can be detected. It depends on radio receiver sensitivity and wattage of the spacecraft's transmitter.

 

[SelfSim]

The Voyagers are not equipped with lasers, but we could use lasers to communicate with ET. No one knows how far radio waves can be detected. It depends on radio receiver sensitivity and wattage of the spacecraft's transmitter.

On the contrary, the criteria around reception distances of RF sytems, has been known since RF comms has been around.
Extracting a hypothetical RF pattern from the noise background, becomes the key limitation for a potential ETI enthusiast .. apart from hypothetising what such an ETI signal, (the hypothetical pattern one is looking for), would look like in the first place.

In laser based comms, distinguishing bright pixels in the Rx imager and distinguishing the cause of these from natural High Energy Cosmic Ray 'hits', then becomes its limiting factor. The distances achievable are far greater than for RF comms though.

 

[AlexB23]

On the contrary, the criteria around reception distances of RF sytems, has been known since RF comms has been around.
Extracting a hypothetical RF pattern from the noise background, becomes the key limitation for a potential ETI enthusiast .. apart from hypothetising what such an ETI signal, (the hypothetical pattern one is looking for), would look like in the first place.

In laser based comms, distinguishing bright pixels in the Rx imager and distinguishing the cause of these from natural High Energy Cosmic Ray 'hits', then becomes its limiting factor. The distances achievable are far greater than for RF comms though.

Yeah, cosmic rays could hit the CCD sensor, limiting laser distances also, but lasers can hold energy for longer. Hopefully ET does not use the hydrogen line (21 cm) band for radio comms, though they could use multiples of the band, say 0.25, 1.5, or 2x the frequency. You are very knowledgeable on comms technology. We need more people like you on CF. I'm a science guy also.

 

[SelfSim]

Yeah, cosmic rays could hit the CCD sensor, limiting laser distances also, but lasers can hold energy for longer. Hopefully ET does not use the hydrogen line (21 cm) band for radio comms, though they could use multiples of the band, say 0.25, 1.5, or 2x the frequency. You are very knowledgeable on comms technology. We need more people like you on CF. I'm a science guy also.

SETI is really about returning knowledge of communication systems behaviours and its design for astronomical scales.

The notion its about chasing ETIs, is for gullible Holy Grail hunters.

 

[AlexB23]

SETI is really about returning knowledge of communication systems behaviours on astronomical scales.

The notion its about chasing ETIs, is for gullible Holy Grail hunters.

For me, I find the technology behind SETI fascinating, even if we may never find aliens. I am trying to work on an alien sci-fi plot, where the aliens (Xa'na race) do not visit Earth, but develop FTL (faster than light) technology in the second half of the 21st century on planet Xanadu. At the same time, the aliens invent quantum communication tech, which does not have any signal degradation. Due to an evil AI-powered FTL space probe launched in 2062, FTL travel is banned in the mid-2060s until the 2190s. The probe returns to the Xa'na homeworld in the 2070s, after wreaking havoc on other alien worlds with less advanced technology.

First have to get a 1910s plot done, set on the Xa'na homeworld from 1917-1921 where cloud seeding propeller planes are used during the second global conflict.

 

[SelfSim]

For me, I find the technology behind SETI fascinating, even if we may never find aliens. I am trying to work on an alien sci-fi plot, where the aliens (Xa'na race) do not visit Earth, but develop FTL (faster than light) technology in the second half of the 21st century on planet Xanadu. At the same time, the aliens invent quantum communication tech, which does not have any signal degradation. Due to an evil AI-powered FTL space probe launched in 2062, FTL travel is banned in the mid-2060s until the 2190s. The probe returns to the Xa'na homeworld in the 2070s, after wreaking havoc on other alien worlds with less advanced technology.

First have to get a 1910s plot done, set on the Xa'na homeworld from 1917-1921 where cloud seeding propeller planes are used during the second global conflict.

I can see I'm talkin' to the wrong audience!

Cheers

 

[AlexB23]

I can see I'm talkin' to the wrong audience!

Cheers

Sarcasm detected: 100%.

Nice to meet a fellow science nerd here on CF. And also, there is no evidence in real-life for any way of developing a quantum signal transmitter, though entanglement is an interesting phenomenon.

 

[Bob Crowley]

It's quite incredible that such a weak signal is able to span the distance from Voyager to Earth, about 15 billion kilometres, and that it can carry so much information that can be deciphered, after being filtered out from all the other electromagnetic noise.

How Strong is the Signal from the Voyager 1 Spacecraft When it Reaches Earth? - National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Question: What is the signal strength in watts received by the VLBA that is transmitted from Voyager 1? I...

public.nrao.edu

Question: What is the signal strength in watts received by the VLBA that is transmitted from Voyager 1? I recall that Voyager 1 transmits at 22 watts and is nearly 20 billion km away, so how weak is the signal here? — Robert

Answer: The answer to your question happens to be included in a story about the VLBA detecting Voyager 1 in 2014. As you said, the radio strength of Voyager 1 is about 23 watts. This signal is directed toward Earth, but since Voyager 1 is about 15 billion kilometers from Earth, by the time Voyager 1’s signal reaches us its power is less than an attowatt, or a billionth of a billionth of a watt.

It also takes 22.5 hours or nearly a day for the signal to get here, and the same for the return.

 

[AlexB23]

It's quite incredible that such a weak signal is able to span the distance from Voyager to Earth, about 15 billion kilometres, and that it can carry so much information that can be deciphered, after being filtered out from all the other electromagnetic noise.

How Strong is the Signal from the Voyager 1 Spacecraft When it Reaches Earth? - National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Question: What is the signal strength in watts received by the VLBA that is transmitted from Voyager 1? I...

public.nrao.edu

It also takes 22.5 hours or nearly a day for the signal to get here, and the same for the return.

Yep, 22.5 hours is 0.94 days. I made a calculation that the Voyager 1 will reach a distance of 1 light day from Earth in early 2027, assuming a near constant speed.


Alright, math:

1. 299792 km/s * 86400 s - 24.4 billion km = 1.5 billion km
2. (1.5 billion km)/(60,900 km/h) = ~25,000 hours
3. 25,000 hours/(24 h/day * 365.25 days/yr) = ~2.8 years
4. 2.8 years from April 24, 2024 = February 2027 (2.8 years from April 24, 2024 - Wolfram|Alpha)

 

[Ophiolite]

Yep, 22.5 hours is 0.94 days. I made a calculation that the Voyager 1 will reach a distance of 1 light day from Earth in early 2027, assuming a near constant speed.


Alright, math:

1. 299792 km/s * 86400 s - 24.4 billion km = 1.5 billion km
2. (1.5 billion km)/(60,900 km/h) = ~25,000 hours
3. 25,000 hours/(24 h/day * 365.25 days/yr) = ~2.8 years
4. 2.8 years from April 24, 2024 = February 2027 (2.8 years from April 24, 2024 - Wolfram|Alpha)

Which would be 0.0645% of the distance to the nearest star, were it heading in the right direction. It may not sound like much, but quite impressive for a technology developed by a species who had first launched an object into orbit barely twenty years earlier and made their first heavier-than-air flight only three quarters of a century before.

 

[AlexB23]

Which would be 0.0645% of the distance to the nearest star, were it heading in the right direction. It may not sound like much, but quite impressive for a technology developed by a species who had first launched an object into orbit barely twenty years earlier and made their first heavier-than-air flight only three quarters of a century before.

Agreed. Well, technically (ahem, clears throat), the sun is the nearest star. But yes, the Voyager is 0.0645% the distance to the Alpha & Proxima Centauri system, the second nearest star.

Sources: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/dreamofflight/dream-timeline.html , Ion Propulsion System Wins Discover Magazine Award

1903: Wright Bros first flight
1947: Yeager breaks the sound barrier
1969: Apollo 12 lands on the moon
1977: Voyager 1 & 2 launched
1990s: Ion drive invented
2024: Seems that innovation in the space sector has slowed.

 

[Ophiolite]

Agreed. Well, technically (ahem, clears throat), the sun is the nearest star.

But I am from Scotland where we rarely see the sun***, so it is easily overlooked.

2024: Seems that innovation in the space sector has slowed

Except yesterday I watched the 40th or 42nd Falcon 9 launch of 1924 and expect a further Starship launch within a month. Within minutes of the Falcon 9 launch I watched the 46th (and 42nd successful) flight of one of Rocket Lab's Electron partially resusable rockets, while the Ingenuity Mars helicopter overperformed by an order of magnitude before its eventual demise. I would argue that innovation is greater than it ever has been, with commercial space stations likely to be in orbit within a decade and theorists contemplating solar sail microsatellites en route to Alpha Centauri by mid-century.

*** The Scottish Tourist board would like me to point out that the we often see the sun in Scotland and when it is misty, or raining it creates a magical and romantic atmosphere in the rugged mountains.

 

[AlexB23]

But I am from Scotland where we rarely see the sun***, so it is easily overlooked.

Except yesterday I watched the 40th or 42nd Falcon 9 launch of 1924 and expect a further Starship launch within a month. Within minutes of the Falcon 9 launch I watched the 46th (and 42nd successful) flight of one of Rocket Lab's Electron partially resusable rockets, while the Ingenuity Mars helicopter overperformed by an order of magnitude before its eventual demise. I would argue that innovation is greater than it ever has been, with commercial space stations likely to be in orbit within a decade and theorists contemplating solar sail microsatellites en route to Alpha Centauri by mid-century.

*** The Scottish Tourist board would like me to point out that the we often see the sun in Scotland and when it is misty, or raining it creates a magical and romantic atmosphere in the rugged mountains.

Seems like innovation is picking up again, cos of SpaceX and other new-ish companies. NASA is sadly using the outdated SLS: Why we have the SLS

 

[Halbhh]

While it may have been really more for us -- the Earth audience, the people in favor of NASA -- the Voyager spacecraft also included a gold disk in the old fashioned manner of a vinyl record and a plaque about us, helping point to our solar system also. Of course, you'd not want some hostile alien civilization to find that.

But I think no worries. I think no such exist, neither friendly ones either for that matter I think. (and there might not be a way to do FLT either, etc.) I'd be delighted to be wrong -- and us find a friendly alien civilization, but I read a lot of astronomy reports and we have continued to learn how commonplace natural phenomena are in star systems generally that would too soon sterilize a planet with early life.

I enjoy science fiction though, and aliens are a lot of fun in story form. They make great metaphors for parts of the human psyche. Endless fun stories.

But I think these records below on the Voyagers were more for us than them even back then. I favored it myself, way back, as a kid, where the SF was that aliens would be more like Star Trek: where most would be amenable to some non war relationship.

On the Voyagers: