SMRTR Science & EngineeringOct 8, 2024TechSpot

NASA powers down science instrument to conserve Voyager 2 power supply

SMRTR summary

NASA has shut down one of Voyager 2's science instruments to conserve power as the spacecraft's energy supply dwindles. The plasma science instrument was turned off, leaving four other instruments functional. NASA hopes this will allow Voyager 2 to continue exploring interstellar space into the 2030s. Launched in 1977, Voyager 2 is currently over 12.8 million miles from Earth and takes about 38 hours for a round-trip signal. It remains one of only two human-made crafts to reach interstellar space.

SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to TechSpot.

Read the original article
SMRTR Science & Engineering

Get the next batch of curated summaries in your inbox.

This archive is built from SMRTR newsletter summaries. Subscribe for hand-picked stories without the extra noise.