Post #4403197
2026-08-06 02:17 UTC
NASA is reporting that the Voyager 2 team has successfully deployed the “Big Bang” fix, a procedure that involved simultaneously turning off certain devices and substituting them with lower-power alternatives while maintaining spacecraft temperature.
The savings should provide power to keep its 3 active instruments operating for at least an extra year with its dwindling power supply.
No word on which devices were powered off and what they were substituted with.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/voyager/2026/08/04/nasa-engineers-help-prolong-voyager-2s-science-mission/
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Replies (1)
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@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 2026-08-06 02:28
The "Big Bang" fix was mentioned in April when NASA shut off the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP) instrument on Voyager 1 to save power. With the successful deployment on Voyager 2, the "Big Bang" procedure will next be executed on Voyager 1. Power from the RTG units has dropped from 470 W to less than 216 W after 49 years in space. The RTGs and instruments also supply heat to maintain operating temperature for the onboard instruments. https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/voyager/2026/04/17/nasa-shuts-off-instrument-on-voyager-1-to-keep-spacecraft-operating/ 2/n