On October 18, NASA’s Deep Space Network couldn’t hear Voyager 1. On October 19, still nothing. On October 20, the signal came back.
What happened
So far it looks like a group of thrusters went offline and the backups kicked in, maybe because the computers saw a problem and went into safe mode. Mission manager Kareem Badaruddin: “This is the first time we’ve seen the spacecraft do something like this.”
Where it is
In a few weeks, Voyager 1 will be one light-day away. A command will take 24 hours to get there and the reply another 24 hours to get back. Both Voyagers hit 50 next year.
My take
A 1970s computer, billions of miles out, still fixing itself. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1), and it’s a nice bonus when our little machines get to keep listening.
God Bless, and May the Source Be with You!
