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Once ‘dead’ thrusters on the farthest spacecraft from Earth are in action again
- Engineers at NASA successfully revived Voyager 1's original roll thrusters, dormant since 2004, as the spacecraft remains 15.5 billion miles away in interstellar space.
- This repair resulted from concerns about residue buildup threatening the backup thrusters, which had been maintaining Voyager 1's orientation after power loss to two internal heaters.
- The spacecraft sent into space in late 1977 by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory depends on several thrusters to maintain its orientation and transmit information from its exceptionally remote location.
- Mission manager Kareem Badaruddin reflected that the team accepted the original thrusters' failure in 2004, expecting the spacecraft not to last this long, and propulsion lead Todd Barber said team morale was very high during the fix.
- Reviving the primary thrusters could extend Voyager 1's functionality until it contacts Earth again after antenna upgrades pause communications, supporting ongoing deep space science missions.
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'Yet another miracle save': NASA engineers complete nail-biting maneuver to resurrect Voyager 1's long-dead thrusters
More than 15 billion miles from home, Voyager 1's ailing thrusters were threatening to abort the craft's mission. Until NASA engineers brought them miraculously back to life.
·United States
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Total News Sources47
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Center
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