NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, which is the farthest spacecraft from Earth, has resumed sending science data. After experiencing a computer problem in November, the spacecraft’s four instruments are now back in operation as reported by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The team recently received meaningful information from Voyager 1 in April and has since instructed it to resume studying its environment.
Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 and is currently drifting through interstellar space, the region between star systems. Before entering this region, it made significant discoveries such as a thin ring around Jupiter and several moons of Saturn. Voyager 1’s instruments are designed to gather data on plasma waves, magnetic fields, and particles in its surroundings.
Currently situated over 15 billion miles (24.14 kilometers) away from Earth, Voyager 1 is more than just a piece of technology; it’s an ambassador representing humanity to the cosmos. Its twin spacecraft, Voyager 2, is also in interstellar space and is more than 12 billion miles (19.31 kilometers) from Earth. Together they have collected vast amounts of data that has helped scientists understand our solar system better and even given them insights into the universe beyond our galaxy.
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