Of course, it is not the case that the sensors have been working without problems for 46 years, and that the first problems have only appeared now. Over the decades, each probe has suffered more or less serious errors. The engineers running the sensors have repeatedly had to deal with issues with power supplies, motors, and software glitches. Although it must be admitted that if automobile defects were so rare, we would have much less work for mechanics.
More than 24 billion kilometers from Earth, constantly moving away from the Sun and Earth, is the Voyager 1 probe. For one thing, it is still sending data toward Earth as it has done for the past several decades. On the other hand, the information it sends does not have much meaning. Obviously, we are dealing with a serious defect or simply tool wear. Scientists who analyze the data that reaches Earth admit thisWhile Voyager 2 is still sending valuable scientific data, Voyager 1 is starting to send back data that is not fully understood and astronomers are unable to get any information from it. We still have contact with the probe, but we don't understand each other.
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Therefore, it is not known what really happened. Data that until recently reached Earth in the form of binary code has ceased to exist, replaced by a series of alternating zeros and ones, which produce nothing.
With no real alternative, scientists are trying to reset the software installed on board the probe and get it back to working properly. But the problem here is that the probes were created half a century ago and there are not many people in the world who designed Voyager anymore. Furthermore, the engineering team did not include any specialists in the software used at that time. Ironically, scientists must try to get into the heads of computer scientists from the 1960s and understand the idea of the software they used, and then develop commands in a suitable programming language to regain control of the probe. Over the next month, researchers will try several of the methods they've just developed in the hopes that some meaning will return to the stream of data reaching Earth from the spacecraft.
Read also: Voyager 1 probe is in a state of madness. What happens to the record-breaking spacecraft?
However, here it is worth paying attention to one fact. Regardless of how long the two probes will communicate with Earth, their journey has only just begun. An analysis of the flight paths of both cameras in the vacuum of interstellar space, conducted by researchers in 2022, indicates that there is a good chance that Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 will move through interstellar space long after all life has disappeared from the surface of the Earth and life has disappeared. The Sun will pass through the red giant and white dwarf phases, and the Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda Galaxy. In space, there is little chance that probes will collide with something that could destroy them. The void of outer space is truly vast, and the stars and planets scattered everywhere are really just tiny dots that are very difficult to hit by chance.
Echo Richards embodies a personality that is a delightful contradiction: a humble musicaholic who never brags about her expansive knowledge of both classic and contemporary tunes. Infuriatingly modest, one would never know from a mere conversation how deeply entrenched she is in the world of music. This passion seamlessly translates into her problem-solving skills, with Echo often drawing inspiration from melodies and rhythms. A voracious reader, she dives deep into literature, using stories to influence her own hardcore writing. Her spirited advocacy for alcohol isn’t about mere indulgence, but about celebrating life’s poignant moments.
