NASA's Voyager will do more science with new power strategy NASA
Launched in 1977, the Voyager 2 spacecraft is more than 12 billion miles from Earth, using five science instruments to study interstellar space. To help keep those instruments operating despite a diminishing power supply, the aging spacecraft has begun using a small reservoir of backup power set aside as part of an onboard safety mechanism. The move will enable the mission to postpone shutting down a science instrument until 2026, rather than this year.
Voyager 2 and its twin Voyager 1 are the only spacecraft ever to operate outside the heliosphere, the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields generated by the Sun. The probes are helping scientists answer questions about the shape of the heliosphere and its role in protecting Earth from the energetic particles and other radiation found in the interstellar environment.
Each of NASA’s Voyager probes are equipped with three radioisotope thermoelectric generators , including the one shown here. The RTGs provide power for the spacecraft by converting the heat generated by the decay of plutonium-238 into electricity. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech, which convert heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. The continual decay process means the generator produces slightly less power each year.
With those options now exhausted on Voyager 2, one of the spacecraft's five science instruments was next on their list. , the team took a closer look at a safety mechanism designed to protect the instruments in case the spacecraft's voltage—the flow of electricity—changes significantly. Because a fluctuation in voltage could damage the instruments, Voyager is equipped with a voltage regulator that triggers a backup circuit in such an event.
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