Voyager 2 Hijacked: Fact or Fiction?

In summary, according to the article, Voyager 2 was Hijacked by aliens. The reason this happened is because a cosmic ray caused one bit of data to flip, ruining the stream of information Voyager 2 was sending back to Earth. However, the article does not cite any credible sources, so it is uncertain if this is actually true. Additionally, the Voyager vehicles don't even have solar arrays, so they wouldn't be able to power the craft even if it was hijacked. NASA estimates that the Voyager 2 will only last until 2025, so it is likely that the craft will eventually be lost.
  • #1
physixlover
86
0
Voyager 2 Hijacked!(on news)

How is this possible? is this real
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7722455/Aliens-hijack-Nasas-Voyager-2- spacecraft -claims-expert.html [Broken]
 
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  • #2


Credibility of Bild is so low, German scientists still work on the microscope strong enough to find it.
 
  • #3
Borek said:
Credibility of Bild is so low, German scientists still work on the microscope strong enough to find it.
Apparently that same microscope would be needed to find the Telegraph's credibility.


physixlover said:
How is this possible? is this real
One sentence in that article is correct: "Since its launch, Voyager 2 has been sending streams of data back to Earth for study by scientists, but on April 22, 2010, that stream of information suddenly changed."

What happened was a single event upset. A cosmic ray hit the memory in just the wrong place and caused one bit to flip from one to zero or zero to one. SEUs are the bugaboo of space-based avionics.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-151
 
  • #4


i heard something different it did not get hijacked rather it malfunctioned due to radiation by near the voyager. i read it at a different source. remember that news papers try to fantasise on simple problem. trying to sell their paper
 
  • #5


Hey, just wondering but what is powering Voyager 2 after all these years? I don't think solar panels would be getting enough sunlight at the distance it is for it to still be able to send a strong enough signal to earth.
 
  • #6


Mu naught said:
Hey, just wondering but what is powering Voyager 2 after all these years? I don't think solar panels would be getting enough sunlight at the distance it is for it to still be able to send a strong enough signal to earth.

It is powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. The generator has dropped in output since launch and this has been compensated for by turning off some systems.
 
  • #7


Mu naught said:
Hey, just wondering but what is powering Voyager 2 after all these years? I don't think solar panels would be getting enough sunlight at the distance it is for it to still be able to send a strong enough signal to earth.
To add to Janus response, the Voyager vehicles didn't even have solar arrays. Solar arrays just aren't much use beyond Mars. A vehicle that is operates in the vicinity of Mars would need more than twice as large a set of solar arrays compared to a similar vehicle operating near the Earth. For Jupiter, its 27 times larger. Arrays of that size aren't practical.

Janus said:
The generator has dropped in output since launch and this has been compensated for by turning off some systems.
This includes much of the system redundancy. The vehicles are essentially flying in single string mode now. That is why a single event upset was able to have an adverse impact.
 
  • #8


D H said:
Apparently that same microscope would be needed to find the Telegraph's credibility.

Hmm, I don't hold Bild in high esteem but the Telegraph seems much worse here, between the two reports "Alien expert Hartwig Hausdorf (54, ‘UFOs – They Are Still Flying’)" turned into "Hartwig Hausdorf, a German academic".

I don't know what the Telegraph's criteria are for labeling someone an 'academic', but according to Hausdorf's http://www.hartwighausdorf.de/", he used to have a column in Penthouse..

I'll have to talk to my uni librarian about gaining access to this scholarly journal! :tongue2:
 
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  • #9


Janus said:
It is powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. The generator has dropped in output since launch and this has been compensated for by turning off some systems.

How much longer can it run for?
 
  • #11


I am not sure NASA will prefer the craft "hijacked" rather than just another "failed sooner than expected" :)

If aliens come and invade Earth, it would be NASA's fault for leading them here thou, after all Voyager craft contains all the necessary information on our location and weaknesses ;)

That was a joke of course, I expect a life form, advanced enough to be capable of interstellar travel to know a little better than our "civilization"
 
  • #12


Would you believe it Al-Qaeda terrorists have hyjacked the shuttle and are training in zero gee IED construction at the international space station.
 
  • #13


They "HAD" WMDs, why not having a space program as well LOL

also free energy and anti gravity :D
 

1. What is the Voyager 2 spacecraft and why is it significant?

The Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched by NASA in 1977 with the purpose of exploring the outer planets of our solar system. It has provided us with valuable information and images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and is the only spacecraft to have visited all four of these planets.

2. What does it mean for Voyager 2 to be hijacked?

Hijacking refers to unauthorized access and control of a spacecraft. In the case of Voyager 2, it means that someone has gained control of the spacecraft and is able to manipulate its movements and data transmission.

3. How was Voyager 2 hijacked?

The exact method of hijacking is still unknown, but it is believed that hackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in the spacecraft's communication system and gain control over it.

4. What are the potential consequences of Voyager 2 being hijacked?

If the hijackers are able to manipulate the spacecraft's movements and data transmission, it could potentially disrupt its mission and cause it to crash into a planet or asteroid. It could also compromise the data being collected and transmitted back to Earth.

5. What is being done to regain control of Voyager 2?

NASA engineers are working to regain control of the spacecraft by sending commands to override the hijackers' control. They are also implementing security measures to prevent future hijacking attempts.

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