In what NASA has described as a “communications pause”, contact with the 46 year old space craft, Voyager 2 was lost. This was due to an error in a command, sent on July 21, to the craft by NASA which has resulted in a mis-alignment of the main communications antenna.
NASA Mission Update: Voyager 2 Communications Pause | NASA
Voyager 2 is more than 12.3 billion miles from Earth and is one of two space craft now in interstellar space – outside the solar system’s heliosphere – the other is Voyager 1. Both were launched in the summer of 1977, with Voyager 2 being launched first on Aug. 20, 1977 (that is the image above). The craft took different routes out of the solar system and clocked up many firsts as they passed the outer planets and other space objects.
Voyager 2 – A mission continuity plan
Limited contact has been re-established, with a faint carrier signal from Voyager 2 being detected, letting the team at NASA know the craft has not been lost. Voyager 2 was programmed to automatically reset its orientation to the Earth, several times a year – it is almost as though the engineers back in 1977 knew this type of mistake may be made some time in the craft’s voyage! The next reset is due by the craft on October 15, when NASA expects to be back in full communication with the probe.
NASA still has an experimental agenda running for both of the Voyager craft. Voyager 1 is operating normally and is further away from Earth than Voyager 2, at almost 15 billion miles away.
The Golden Records
Both Voyager 1 and 2 are famous for carrying Golden Records – gold plated discs containing audio and images from Earth, intended for anyone or anything that discovers the probes in the future. The cover is etched with diagrams explaining how to play the enclosed record, where the craft was launched from and a hydrogen molecule for reference. A stylus is included and a sample of uranium-238 is attached as a time reference. The content was decided on by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan, the prominent space scientist.
Have a good weekend.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
Voyager – The Golden Record (nasa.gov)
Feature image credit – (Credit: NASA/ESA/G. Bacon/STScI)
