The Voyager 1 spacecraft has returned usable data for the first time in over five months, giving hope for the 46-year-old mission to resume its normal operations. The spacecraft is exploring the outermost edge of the Sun’s domain, combining its observations with data from newer missions to get a better understanding of how the heliosphere interacts with interstellar space.
Parish Episcopal School and the University of Alabama in Huntsville emerged victorious in the 30th NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC), held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Over 600 students from 72 teams worldwide showcased their engineering skills in navigating obstacle courses, completing mission tasks, and undergoing safety and design reviews.
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, currently cruising in interstellar space, has re-established contact after a five-month communication blackout due to a glitch in November. The spacecraft’s team traced the problem to a single chip in the flight data subsystem, which holds some of the software code for preparing science and engineering data. The team has devised a complex fix involving dividing and storing the code in different places, starting with the code that allows Voyager 1 to package up its engineering data. The team will continue to relocate and adjust the other affected portions of the software in the coming weeks, including those responsible for returning science data. Despite its age, Voyager 1 continues to collect data on interstellar space. The Voyager missions, launched in 1977, are nearing their end, but NASA hopes to keep at least one instrument operating on each spacecraft until around 2025.
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, which has been exploring interstellar space since 2012, has resumed communicating with ground control. The spacecraft experienced a glitch in November 2023 that corrupted a code on its flight data subsystem, rendering its science and engineering data unusable. NASA engineers have been working on a fix and have successfully moved the corrupted code to a new location in the FDS memory. Voyager 1 is now sending back usable information about its health and operating status, and the team is working on recovering the spacecraft’s science data capabilities.
José Hernández, a former NASA astronaut, shares his incredible story of overcoming adversity and achieving his dreams through education and perseverance. Despite facing numerous rejections, Hernández remained steadfast in his pursuit of becoming an astronaut, eventually earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree. His journey from the farm fields to outer space serves as a powerful reminder that even the most ambitious goals can be achieved with determination and the support of others.
