Voyager 2 Lives On

NASA has successfully extended the lifespan of the Voyager 2 spacecraft by another year through a power-saving maneuver called the 'Big Bang'. This move will allow Voyager 2's three remaining instruments to continue operating for at least one more year.

Voyager 2 was launched in 1977 and has been in space for almost 50 years. The spacecraft's power source is a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, which converts heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. However, the spacecraft loses around 4 watts of power every year due to the depletion of plutonium.

The 'Big Bang' maneuver involved switching off certain powered devices and replacing them with lower-power alternatives, while keeping the spacecraft warm enough to operate. This procedure has allowed NASA to squeeze every last drop of power out of Voyager 2, which originally had 10 functional scientific instruments but now only has three remaining.

The three remaining instruments on Voyager 2 are the Cosmic Ray Subsystem, Magnetometer, and Plasma Wave Subsystem. These instruments measure high-energy particles, the local magnetic field, and ripples in charged gas around the spacecraft to reveal what interstellar space is like.

NASA plans to carry out the same power-saving maneuver on Voyager 1 in the coming months. This move will help extend the lifespan of Voyager 1, which is also running low on power.

## Why it matters The extension of Voyager 2's lifespan is significant because it will allow scientists to continue gathering data from the edge of the solar system. Voyager 2 is now completely immersed in interstellar space, the region beyond the influence of the sun and its planets. The data collected by Voyager 2's instruments will provide valuable insights into the nature of interstellar space and the outer reaches of the solar system.

The success of the 'Big Bang' maneuver is a testament to the ingenuity of NASA engineers, who have found a way to extend the lifespan of a spacecraft that has been in operation for almost 50 years. As the Voyager spacecraft continue to explore the outer reaches of the solar system, they will provide scientists with a unique opportunity to study the universe in unprecedented detail.