Glitch fixed on Voyager 1 probe, but underlying cause still a mystery

By Georgina Torbet Published September 4, 2022

Engineers have fixed an issue with the Voyager 1 probe, one of the two most distant manmade objects in the universe. A strange issue affecting the Voyager 1 spacecraft’s control system was first announced in May, and though the glitch is now fixed the underlying cause of the issue remains a mystery.

Two Voyager probes named Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in the 1970s, and have since traveled through the solar system and out into interstellar space, where they continue to send back data. It’s not surprising that the 40-year-old hardware is developing issues, though the recent problem was a puzzling one. Voyager 1’s attitude articulation and control system (AACS), which is responsible for keeping the probe’s antenna pointed correctly toward Earth, was sending back strange and impossible readings. However, the craft still appeared to be healthy and continuing on its journey as expected, and was able to send data correctly.

Voyager’s high-gain antenna, seen at the center of this illustration of the NASA spacecraft, is one component controlled by the attitude articulation and control system (AACS). — Voyager’s high-gain antenna, seen at the center of this illustration of the NASA spacecraft, is one component controlled by the attitude articulation and control system (AACS). NASA/JPL-Caltech

Engineers who examined the problem recently announced they had found what was causing the glitch. The AACS was sending its data via the wrong computer, using one which has not been used for many years instead of the functioning computer. This old computer was responsible for the garbled data.

Recommended Videos

To fix the issue, the team sent commands to set the AACS to send its data via the correct computer, and that corrected the problem. However, they still aren’t sure what caused the AACS to switch to the wrong computer in the first place, so they will keep working to identify the underlying problem. It could be that there is a fault in another of the onboard computers which caused the AACS to make the switch.

“We’re happy to have the telemetry back,” said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager’s project manager, in a statement. “We’ll do a full memory readout of the AACS and look at everything it’s been doing. That will help us try to diagnose the problem that caused the telemetry issue in the first place. So we’re cautiously optimistic, but we still have more investigating to do.”

Georgina Torbet

Space Writer

Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…

Topics

Tech News

Space

Voyager 1 spacecraft is still alive and sending signals to Earth

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is depicted in this artist’s concept traveling through interstellar space, or the space between stars, which it entered in 2012.

NASA's two Voyager spacecraft, launched in the 1970s, have passed beyond the orbit of Pluto and into interstellar space, making them the most distant man-made objects to exist in the universe. However, as you'd expect from technology that is nearly 50 years old, the pair of probes have had their share of technical difficulties in their time. But now, NASA has announced that it is back in contact with Voyager 1, around five months after communications with the spacecraft were disrupted. The remarkable pair of explorers continue out into the depths of space to fight another day.

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is depicted in this artist’s concept traveling through interstellar space, or the space between stars, which it entered in 2012. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Space

Astronomers are figuring out what causes incredibly bright flashes in space

In an ejection that would have caused its rotation to slow, a magnetar is depicted losing material into space in this artist’s concept. The magnetar’s strong, twisted magnetic field lines (shown in green) can influence the flow of electrically charged material from the object, which is a type of neutron star.

Some of the oddest cosmic phenomena are short but tremendously powerful bursts of radio waves, which, in a fraction of a second, can give off as much energy as the sun does in a year. Known as fast radio bursts, these incredibly bright flashes of energy are thought to be related to dying stars called magnetars. Now, using two separate telescopes, astronomers have observed one of these events just a few minutes before and after it occurred, giving the best look yet at what causes these strange events.

In an ejection that would have caused its rotation to slow, a magnetar is depicted losing material into space in this artist’s concept. The magnetar’s strong, twisted magnetic field lines (shown in green) can influence the flow of electrically charged material from the object, which is a type of neutron star. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Space

NASA’s Juno spacecraft to pass within 1,000 miles of volcanic moon Io

This image revealing the north polar region of the Jovian moon Io was taken on October 15 by NASA’s Juno. Three of the mountain peaks visible in the upper part of image, near the day-night dividing line, were observed here for the first time by the spacecraft’s JunoCam.

NASA's Juno spacecraft, currently in orbit around Jupiter, will soon be making a close flyby of one of the planet's most dramatic moons, Io. On Saturday, December 30, Juno will come within 1,000 miles of Io, making it the closest spacecraft to that moon in the last 20 years.

Io is an intriguing place because it shows signs of significant volcanic activity, making it the most geologically active body in the solar system. It hosts over 400 active volcanoes, which periodically erupt due to hot magma inside the moon created by friction caused by the gravitational pull between Jupiter and its other large moons.