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Lars Hansen
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For how long will we still be able to communicate with the amazing Voyager 1?
Lars Hansen said:For how long will we still be able to communicate with the amazing Voyager 1?
Suzanne Dodd, the Voyager project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says the Voyager spacecraft are powered by a couple of nuclear reactors sitting on the back of the probe, but they will soon run out of steam. "The nuclear power sources lose about 4 watts of power a year," she says. At this rate, Dodd says, Voyager should have enough power to communicate with Earth until 2022 or maybe 2025.
At it current distance, a round-trip message from Voyager I to Earth and back again takes a little more than 33 hours. And Voyager scientists are allotted only 6 to 8 hours per day on the Deep Space Network, meaning there may not be somebody listening when Voyager is talking
Thank you! I am new here.NascentOxygen said:Hi Lars Hansen.
If you click on the ≡ symbol at the top right of your screen you will find the PF SEARCH facility where a search on titles can discover discussions on the Voyagers. There is sure to be a recent discussion where you can learn much, and ask questions.
Good luck!
Voyager 1 was launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, making it over 40 years since its initial launch.
As of 2021, Voyager 1 is over 14.2 billion miles away from Earth, making it the farthest man-made object from our planet.
Voyager 1 is able to communicate with Earth through NASA's Deep Space Network, which consists of a series of radio antennas located around the world.
The spacecraft's power source, a nuclear generator, is expected to provide enough energy for communication until at least 2025. However, the spacecraft's instruments may continue to gather and transmit data for several more decades.
Voyager 1 has sent back a wealth of information about the outer planets of our solar system, including detailed images and data on their atmospheres, moons, and magnetic fields. It has also provided valuable insights into the boundary of our solar system and the interstellar medium beyond.