NASA’s venerable Voyager 1 spacecraft has resumed sending engineering updates to Earth, much to the relief of mission engineers, scientists, and Voyager enthusiasts worldwide. The issue, which began on November 14, 2023, saw the spacecraft transmitting a series of garbled messages. While it appeared to be receiving commands from Earth and operating normally, no useful science or engineering data was being returned.
Diagnostic testing conducted by the engineering team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ultimately traced the problem to the spacecraft’s flight data subsystem (FDS). This system packages data received from instruments into a data stream for transmission back to Earth. It was discovered that approximately 3% of the FDS memory had become corrupted due to a faulty chip, preventing the computer from carrying out its normal data handling functions.
As no physical repair is possible, engineers devised a workaround solution. By dividing the affected code into sections and storing them in various locations within the FDS, they were able to restore the system’s ability to process engineering data. On April 20th, the spacecraft responded with clear, intelligible data, confirming the success of the fix.
The team is now working to relocate and test the remaining affected code sections, after which science data transmission should be restored. This process may take several weeks to complete, given the spacecraft’s distance of 22.5 light-hours from Earth.
The issue with the FDS is not the only challenge Voyager 1 has faced recently. In October 2023, engineers addressed a fuel flow problem that affected the spacecraft’s thrusters.
Despite these setbacks, Voyager 1 continues its mission of exploration in the interstellar medium. It remains an invaluable scientific asset, providing data on the outer solar system and beyond, and serves as a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of NASA’s engineers and scientists.
