NASA's Voyager 1 Transmits Sketchy Data and Engineers are Confused

NASA is getting mixed signals as the Voyager 1 spacecraft which is already 45-years-old is sending over sketchy data to the engineers from the space agency. Now, the space agency and its team are trying to solve a mystery from the transmitted data by the Voyager 1, and it is the farthest spacecraft of the space company from its list.

NASA Voyager 1: Sketchy Data Transmits to the Space Agency

NASA and its engineering team are looking into the possible explanations for Voyager 1's transmission that sent out sketchy data to the space agency this week. The space agency said that all systems needed to make its transmissions work are fine and have no problems, but the company cannot exactly pinpoint where the problem originated.

The Voyager 1 can still send its transmission data to the planet, and NASA already crossed out its attitude articulation and control system (AACS) that points the antenna toward the planet. It is an important technology for NASA as it will ensure that its signal and transmission will travel from 4.5 billion miles (23.3 billion kilometers) to and from the Earth.

Now, it is pinpointing its telemetry data to be the source of the problem.

What Does the Voyager 1's Transmission Mean?

Voyager 1's latest transmission is undetectable to the team, and it sends over data that does not have any meaning to it or does not have any real information it can give. It is important to note that transmitting to and from the Voyager 1 would take the company two days to send or receive, and it will take a long time to figure out what is happening.

Voyager 1 and NASA's Deep Space Probes

Back in December 2017, NASA fired up the thrusters of its old spacecraft, the Voyager 1, for the first time since its last use in the 1980s, and it is still functioning. Despite being a spacecraft that is old and long-launched by the company, it still has many purposes and features for NASA to use, especially with deep space probes.

Another famous deep space spacecraft that NASA has is the Hubble Space Telescope which aims to look more into other regions that cannot be seen by the space agency's telescopes on the ground. The space agency is exploring more of the nether regions with its many spacecraft that aim to give more information to the public regarding space.

The Voyager 1 may be old, but it does not mean that it is an unusable spacecraft from the company as it still serves many purposes for its research and studies. For now, it may be seeing a malfunction or a bad transmission on its end, but it does not mean that it will go on decommissioning from NASA and left to float in space.

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Written by Isaiah Richard