Voyager has been wandering in interstellar space since 2 November 2018 – Photo: NASA
by page living scienceThe Voyager 2 probe is currently traveling through interstellar space approximately 19.9 billion kilometers from Earth.
A statement from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said scientists lost contact with the Voyager 2 probe on July 21.
Reportedly, after engineers sent a series of pre-planned commands, Voyager 2 inadvertently tilted its antennas away from Earth by about 2 degrees.
However, Voyager 2 is programmed to align its antennas several times a year to maintain contact with Earth as it moves away. The next reset is scheduled for October 15, 2023. At that time, NASA hopes to re-establish contact with Voyager 2.
Voyager 2 was launched from Florida in August 1977 to study the planets outside the Solar System, as well as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Sixteen days later, in September 1977, Voyager 1 was also launched into space.
Both these spacecraft have now left the outer edge of the Solar System since November 2018 and are continuing to explore interstellar space.
Voyager 1 first reached interstellar space in August 2012. Currently this ship is about 23.8 billion km away from our planet. Communication with Voyager 1 is unbroken.
According to NASA, both Voyager spacecraft have enough electrical and fuel power to continue operating until at least 2025.
A gilded copper disc record is stored on both the Voyager 1 and 2 probes, known as the “Travel Gold Record”. It’s a sonic postcard of sorts designed to share Earth’s natural sound and musical heritage with any intelligent aliens, in case they might one day bump into the ships. This exploration.
Each record includes 27 tracks, including works by classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach and Chuck Berry, one of the founders of rock ‘n’ roll. There are also 22 minutes of natural sounds and voices in 59 human languages.
Both probes also have a visual guide and a star map showing the position of Earth.
(TagstoTranslate) nasa
