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NASA has made the decision to deactivate one of the five remaining instruments on Voyager 2, marking another indication that these pioneering space probes may be approaching the conclusion of their remarkable missions. In an announcement on October 1, NASA officials stated that engineers had delayed this action for as long as possible to continue collecting invaluable data, but ultimately opted to shut down the plasma science instrument in order to preserve Voyager 2’s dwindling power supply.
The Voyager probes were engineered for unprecedented journeys into deep space, further than any other human-made objects. However, maintaining their operational systems necessitates a reliable power source. Both spacecraft utilize three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) powered by decaying plutonium-238. Initially providing approximately 470 watts at 30 volts when launched in 1977, the plutonium’s half-life of 87.74 years means they lose about 0.79 percent of their power each year. Now, after more than four decades in space, both Voyagers are functioning on roughly two-thirds of their original energy output.
The plasma science instrument is designed to analyze particle emissions from the Sun and consists of four cup-like sensors. Three sensors are oriented towards the Sun to measure solar wind while within the heliosphere; meanwhile, a fourth sensor is positioned perpendicularly to gather data regarding various planetary magnetospheres and interstellar conditions. NASA noted that although this instrument was crucial for determining when Voyager 2 exited the heliosphere back in 2018, its relevance has significantly diminished since then—providing valuable data only once every three months due to Voyager’s slow rotation.
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Given this inevitable decline in functionality, NASA concluded it was necessary to reduce operations aboard Voyager 2 by deactivating its plasma science tool. This process took considerably longer than simply closing an application on Earth; at over 12.9 billion miles from home and situated about 48 degrees south of the sun’s ecliptic plane, NASA’s “power off” command sent on September 26 required a staggering total of nearly two days—19 hours for transmission and another lengthy wait for confirmation.
This isn’t an isolated incident; engineers have previously disabled equipment aboard both Voyager spacecraft after they completed initial surveys of our solar system’s gas giants during the late ’80s. Many non-essential instruments have been turned off since then—including several heaters—as both probes ventured into interstellar space with limited resources left available for operation.
Despite facing some recent challenges,both Voyager spacecraft continue making history daily by traveling farther into deep space than any other human-made entities ever created. If no catastrophic failures occur, there remains a possibility that both Voyagers could transmit data from at least one functional instrument well into the next decade—a hopeful prospect as NASA engineers strive diligently to enhance those chances.
The post NASA powers down a tool aboard Voyager 2 for energy conservation appeared first on Popular Science.
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