This is the reason for the mysterious messages from Voyager 1

The Voyager 1 US space agency NASA A mystery for a week. In mid-May, the spacecraft began sending strange messages to Earth send. At the time, NASA spoke of “abnormal telemetry data.” Voyager 1 gave the impression that the data was generated completely randomly. They also did not agree with their position in space and their orientation.

NASA engineers have now identified the problem – and Solved. The space agency said in a statement on Wednesday a favour.

Malfunction of the computer on the plane

Already in June I guessedThat problematic telemetry data from the so-called “Posture Expression and Control System“, short AACS, Come. This is the equipment on board Voyager that measures, reports and adjusts the probe’s position in space.

According to NASA, AACS has begun collecting data on a file Onboard computer To send it, which has not worked properly for several years. This is a falsification of information from Voyager.

The reason is still not clear

Then Voyager 1 engineers instructed AACS to send the data back to the correct onboard computer. According to NASA, it is still not clear why the probe sent telemetry data to the faulty device unclear.

“We’re glad we got the telemetry data back,” he says. Susan DowdVoyager mission project leader. “We’ll do a full memory scan of AACS and look at everything it was doing,” Dodd explains. “This will help us diagnose what caused the telemetry problem in the first place.”

NASA wants to turn off the probes

According to NASA, such problems are not unusual at the current stage of the Voyager mission. Because the probe was almost in place 45 years In space, not all tools work properly.

The Voyager mission is one of NASA’s most successful projects. Because in fact they should 1977 Sensors, Voyager 1 and 2, only launched 4 years Explore the universe for a long time. They sent back images and data from the outer solar system to Earth, including close-ups of gas giants Jupiter And the Saturn As well as their moons Ganymede, Europa and Titan.

However, the days of the two investigations are numbered. NASA wants to keep the energy consumption of the two spacecraft to a minimum this year To reduce. The agency announced this in June. Understandably, it will be at least until 2025 The data will be provided.