In a moment of excitement, I shared captivating cosmic distances with my father, who was fascinated by the vastness of the universe. The Moon lay 238,855 miles away, while Pluto hovered around a million miles distant. The Sun blazed 93 million miles away, and the mind-boggling distance of 2.8 billion miles separated us from Alpha Centauri.
As I uttered each number, my father’s enthusiasm grew. When I mentioned Voyager 1, a spacecraft that had ventured beyond our solar system, his astonishment was evident. It had traveled an astounding 15 billion miles and was still voyaging farther into the interstellar expanse.
Voyager 1 holds a special place in our hearts as a beloved robotic space explorer. Its journey has captivated countless individuals, so when it abruptly stopped communicating with Earth months ago, the world was filled with concern. For reasons unknown, the spacecraft began transmitting gibberish instead of the organized data it had been sending since its launch.
This classic computer language had allowed Voyager 1 to communicate with its creators, earning it the title of “farthest human-made object.” Its insights led to discoveries of new Jovian moons, a new ring of Saturn, and the first “family portrait” of our solar system. The code was vital to Voyager 1’s very essence.
To make matters worse, the glitch was traced to the Flight Data System, which transmits information about the spacecraft’s health, enabling scientists to address any issues that may arise. With Voyager 1’s immense distance from Earth, a transmission took about 22.5 hours to reach the spacecraft and another 22.5 hours to receive a response.
The situation remained bleak for about five months until April 20, when Voyager 1 suddenly began transmitting clear data. “The team had gathered early on a weekend morning to see whether telemetry would return,” said Bob Rasmussen, a member of the Voyager flight team. “It was nice to have everyone assembled in one place like this to share in the moment of learning that our efforts had been successful.”
Soon after, Voyager scientists announced the spacecraft had resumed returning science data from two of its four instruments. They worked diligently to bring the remaining instruments back online. Though Voyager 1 carried six other instruments, they had been out of commission for some time.
Rasmussen, a member of the original Voyager team in the 1970s, rejoined the mission in 2022 to address a separate issue. Linda Spilker, a planetary scientist who also worked on the Voyager mission, highlighted the longevity of the spacecraft and the dedication of the team.
To restore Voyager 1’s functionality, the team devised a complex workaround that prompted the Flight Data System to transmit a copy of its memory back to Earth. Within that memory readout, they identified a corrupted code on a single chip, which they remedied through a subsequent process to modify the code.
On the day Voyager 1 finally spoke again, the room fell silent with anticipation. “You could have heard a pin drop,” said Spilker. “Everybody’s looking at the screen, waiting and watching.”
Spilker brought in lucky peanuts for the team, a longstanding tradition at JPL before major mission events. As the data populated the screens, the programmers erupted in cheers. “They were the happiest people in the room,” said Spilker, “and there was just a sense of joy that we had Voyager 1 back.”
Rasmussen believes the failure likely resulted from a combination of aging and radiation damage from energetic particles in space. He anticipates similar failures in the future as Voyager 1 continues its journey beyond our solar system, just like its twin spacecraft Voyager 2.
While the spacecraft is not fully fixed yet, progress is being made, with some of its science instruments back on track. Rasmussen emphasizes that the team remains optimistic and confident in addressing any future issues.
During the period of silence, there was widespread concern that Voyager 1 was nearing its end. Headlines carried negative weight, as people contemplated the loss of a piece of history. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were the first spacecraft to directly measure the interstellar medium, the material that fills the space between stars.
The Voyagers were launched in 1972, shortly after humans first walked on the moon. A rare alignment of planets provided the spacecraft with checkpoints across the solar system, including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These gravity assists enabled the Voyagers to venture beyond the solar system.
As the first human-made object to leave our solar system, Voyager 1 has cemented its place in history. Its legacy is one of endurance, resilience, and scientific discovery. The team behind Voyager 1 is dedicated to continuing this legacy, knowing that their work inspires countless minds around the globe.
