Voyager 2 Hijacked: Fact or Fiction?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the claim that Voyager 2 has been hijacked, as reported by various news outlets. Participants explore the credibility of these claims, the potential for technical malfunctions, and the power source of Voyager 2, while also engaging in humorous speculation about extraterrestrial involvement.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the credibility of the news sources reporting the hijacking, particularly criticizing the Bild and the Telegraph for their sensationalism.
  • One participant suggests that the changes in data from Voyager 2 could be attributed to a single event upset caused by cosmic rays affecting the spacecraft's memory.
  • Another participant argues that the spacecraft likely malfunctioned due to radiation rather than being hijacked, emphasizing the tendency of newspapers to exaggerate issues.
  • Several participants discuss the power source of Voyager 2, noting that it is powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, which has decreased in output over time, leading to the shutdown of some systems.
  • There is a question about how much longer Voyager 2 can continue to operate, with a participant citing JPL's estimate of its operational lifetime extending "no earlier than 2025."
  • Humorous comments are made regarding the implications of aliens hijacking the spacecraft and the potential consequences for humanity, with some participants joking about the absurdity of such scenarios.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the validity of the hijacking claim, with some defending the idea of technical malfunctions while others express skepticism about the news reports. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the actual cause of the data changes from Voyager 2.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying levels of trust in the reporting of scientific events, highlighting the influence of sensationalism in media. The discussion also touches on the technical aspects of spacecraft operation, including the limitations of power sources in deep space missions.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those following space exploration, media credibility, and technical aspects of spacecraft operations, as well as individuals curious about the intersection of science and popular culture.

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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
 
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Credibility of Bild is so low, German scientists still work on the microscope strong enough to find it.
 
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
 


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
 


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.
 


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.
 


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.
 


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! :-p
 
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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
 

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