Voyager 1 Shuts Down Instrument to Prepare for High-Stakes ‘Big Bang’ Mission Fix

Voyager 1, the farthest spacecraft from Earth, has powered down another of its science instruments as part of a strategic effort to extend its historic mission. NASA engineers deactivated the spacecraft’s Low-energy Charged Particles (LECP) experiment on April 17, a move intended to preserve dwindling power levels as the probe journeys deeper into interstellar space.

Currently 16 billion miles away, Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, are the only human-made objects exploring the region beyond our sun’s heliosphere. Both probes are powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators that lose roughly 4 watts of power each year. To manage this steady decline, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been systematically shutting down non-essential heaters and instruments to keep the craft's antennas pointed toward Earth.

The deactivation of the LECP instrument is meant to buy time for an ambitious upgrade nicknamed the "Big Bang." This maneuver involves swapping powered devices for lower-energy alternatives to maintain the probe's internal temperature while continuing to collect data. NASA plans to test the "Big Bang" fix on Voyager 2 in May and June before attempting the same maneuver on Voyager 1 in July.

If the "Big Bang" is successful, it could keep Voyager 1 operational through its 50-year anniversary and may even allow engineers to restart the LECP instrument. For now, Voyager 1 continues to send back data using its two remaining functional instruments, which measure plasma waves and magnetic fields in uncharted territory. "The team remains focused on keeping both Voyagers going for as long as possible," said mission manager Kareem Badaruddin.

Credit to: Ashley Strickland, CNN