A traveler in the depths of space.
An explorer in the interstellar region.
The eyes and ears of human beings in the depths of the endless universe…
A spacecraft that went far beyond expectations and traveled 24 billion kilometers.
Those born when thrown into the endless void are 47 years old today.
Voyager-1 is still in contact with Earth.
Sent to explore planets, reached interstellar space
The Voyager-1 spacecraft was launched into space approximately 47 years ago, on September 5, 1977, within the scope of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA program.
Its mission was to examine the planets in the Solar System, take photographs and send them to the earth.
His term of office was 5 years.
However, neither the distance nor the time was sufficient for Passenger-1, that is, Voyager-1.
The spacecraft, which has a life expectancy of 5 years, has been in the depths of space for nearly 47 years and continues to progress.
People’s eyes and ears in the depths of space
It is currently 24 billion kilometers away in the region called Interstellar.
As expected, Voyager-1, which has been worn out by years and has 1977 technology, has been showing signs of fatigue for a while.
Radio signals containing data sent by the Voyager-1 spacecraft from a distance of 24 billion kilometers in the interstellar region reach the earth in 22.5 hours.
Signals whose contents could not be deciphered had been received from the spacecraft for 5 months.
It turned out that the problem was caused by a broken chip.
It turned out that the faulty chip was preventing the spacecraft’s computers from accessing the software code it used to transfer data to Earth.
Re-contact after 5 months
Experts from the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) solved the problem by directing the software code to other computers of the spacecraft.
The spacecraft resumed sending decipherable data.
For now, only data is coming in about whether the spacecraft’s computer systems are working properly.
Studies are focused on making the Voyager-1 spacecraft capable of sending decipherable data about its environment.
On the other hand, time reduces the capabilities of the spacecraft day by day.
The spacecraft is powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators that convert heat from plutonium into electricity. However, the degradation process in plutonium means that generators produce less power each year.
Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 defying the years
Voyager-1, which went beyond expectations and traveled 24 billion kilometers, in other words, is 22 and a half light hours away.
In other words, if it could accelerate to the speed of light, it would take 22 hours and 33 minutes to return to Earth.
For the curious, there is the NASA Voyager-1 website. The progress of the spacecraft is conveyed with instant data.
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/
According to scientists, it is impossible to know how long the Voyager-1 and its sister Voyager-2 spacecraft will last.
What is known is that the Voyager siblings took their place in history as the longest-serving spacecraft.
