Datahopa
Heavens Above => Astronomy & Near Earth Phenomena => Topic started by: Freddy on December 05, 2017, 15:55:30 PM
Though this was very cool.
QuoteNASA's announced that Voyager 1's already-amazingly-long mission will probably be extended for an extra two or three years, thanks to a successful attempt to use thrusters that haven't fired up since the year 1980.
As NASA announced last Friday, Voyager 1's been using its "attitude control thrusters" (ACMs) for decades, to nudge the probe so that its antenna points at Earth and it can stay in touch.
Full story at The Register : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/12/04/voyager_1_mission_extension_thanks_assmbler_code_and_thrusters_unused_since_1980/
They built the thing well didn't they :thumbsup:
That they did. It saddnes me to think, though, that ~2025 it will no longer be able to function as intended. but still, that probe is nearly as old as I am, and it's astonishing that it has worked so well for so long. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Half deaf, half blind but still hobbling along. Yes, I am talking about Voyager.
Shame they couldn't fire it off to a close star but hey, that's many 1000s of years away.
Not sure when it gets picked up by an alien intelligence and returns to Earth so they can film the original Star Trek film.