After a period of anxiety over the potential loss of Voyager 2, NASA has finally received a reassuring “heartbeat signal” from the space probe that has been operating for almost five decades.
The concern arose two weeks ago when a wrong command from flight controllers caused the spacecraft’s antenna to veer away from Earth, cutting off communication. At that time, it was not expected to be resolved until an automated re-orientation manoeuvre on October 15.
Despite the challenge, NASA’s Deep Space Network, a collection of large radio antennas, detected a “heartbeat signal” from Voyager 2, indicating that the 46-year-old probe is functioning well, according to project manager Suzanne Dodd.
The team is now working on a new command to attempt to point the spacecraft’s antenna back towards Earth, even though the likelihood of success is deemed low. Nevertheless, the NASA team remains committed to their efforts as the automated re-orientation manoeuvre is months away.
Launched in 1977, Voyager 2’s mission was to explore the outer planets and serve as a symbol of humanity to potential extraterrestrial life. It is currently located “well beyond our solar system” at a distance of over 12.3 billion miles or 19.9 kilometers from Earth.
Before leaving the solar system, Voyager 2 successfully explored Jupiter and Saturn and became the only spacecraft to date to visit Uranus and Neptune.
Both Voyager 2 and its predecessor, Voyager 1, which is now about 15 billion miles from Earth and the first spacecraft to enter the interstellar medium, carry “Golden Records.” These records hold encoded images, music, and sounds representing life on Earth that can be played with an included stylus. They also include a map of our solar system, a piece of uranium to help date the spacecraft’s launch, and symbolic instructions on how to use the record. These records are meant to convey humanity’s story to potential extraterrestrial civilizations.
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