With the spacecraft now in deep interstellar space, the fix was driven by growing concerns that its currently used thrusters might soon fail. Racing against time before a long communications blackout, the team made a daring and intricate attempt to restore the dormant system. Their creative theory paid off, turning a nearly-forgotten system into a mission-saving backup, just in time.
Hats off to the Engineering Team at NASA
------ Post added on May 20, 2025 at 9:37 AM
spacecraft that hadn’t worked since 2004. These thrusters had been considered out of commission for two decades. Restoring them wasn’t easy—it took a mix of clever thinking and some risk, but the team wanted a reliable backup. That’s because the main thrusters currently in use are showing signs of clogging from residue, which could stop them from working as soon as this fall.
------ Post added on May 20, 2025 at 9:38 AM
The timing was critical. NASA needed to revive these backup thrusters before May 4, when the powerful Earth-based antenna responsible for sending commands to Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, would go offline for several months of scheduled upgrades.
------ Post added on May 20, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Hats off to the Engineering Team at NASA
------ Post added on May 20, 2025 at 9:37 AM
spacecraft that hadn’t worked since 2004. These thrusters had been considered out of commission for two decades. Restoring them wasn’t easy—it took a mix of clever thinking and some risk, but the team wanted a reliable backup. That’s because the main thrusters currently in use are showing signs of clogging from residue, which could stop them from working as soon as this fall.
------ Post added on May 20, 2025 at 9:38 AM
The timing was critical. NASA needed to revive these backup thrusters before May 4, when the powerful Earth-based antenna responsible for sending commands to Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, would go offline for several months of scheduled upgrades.
------ Post added on May 20, 2025 at 9:39 AM
