NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, which has been exploring space for over four decades, recently faced a communication problem with its onboard computer systems. The issue began four months ago, causing engineers at NASA to lose contact with the spacecraft. However, on March 1, a breakthrough occurred when a command prompt sent to the spacecraft resulted in a comprehensible signal being received.
The problem seems to be with the flight data subsystem (FDS) computer onboard Voyager 1. To address the issue, NASA sent a command to the FDS on March 1 to use different software sequences in an attempt to bypass any corrupted data. Given the immense distance of more than 15 billion miles between Voyager 1 and Earth, there is a 22.5-hour delay in communication, making troubleshooting a lengthy process.
Engineers detected new activity from the FDS on March 3, which differed from the previous unreadable data streams. By decoding the new signal, NASA was able to retrieve a readout of the entire FDS memory, including instructions, values, and downloadable data. This data will be compared to previous information to identify any discrepancies and potentially resolve the ongoing communication issue.
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, holds the title of being the farthest human-made object from Earth. NASA scientists are now analyzing the new data in hopes of finding a solution to the communication problem. While it will take time to determine if any insights can be used to address the issue, the recent progress marks a significant step forward in resolving the spacecraft’s technical difficulties.
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