5 August, 2023: A lost and wandering explorer? A pulsing heartbeat across space! Keep reading to know more about this journey of discovery into the depths of the universe!
Voyager 2 has been one of NASA's most remarkable space missions since its launch in 1977, exploring the far limits of our solar system and beyond. This brave spacecraft, which has spent decades sending treasured information about the far-off planets and their moons, recently faced a major challenge in its interstellar voyage.
Interstellar- It is interstellar if something occurs or is situated between stars. Astronomers frequently use the term "interstellar space" to describe the space inside a galaxy.
Voyager 2: A journey of discovery
Voyager 2, launched on August 20, 1977, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, alongside its twin spacecraft, Voyager 1, was designed to explore the outer planets of our solar system and venture into interstellar space.
Voyager 2 has over the years given humanity unmatched knowledge of the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, taking breath-taking pictures and gathering priceless information of Jupiter's iconic Great Red patch, Saturn's mesmerising rings, and Neptune's mysterious black patch, it redefined our understanding of the gas giants and their moons.that forever altered our understanding of these far-off celestial bodies.
One of Voyager 2's most amazing achievements was its "Grand Tour" path, which allowed the spacecraft to visit all four gas giants in a single voyage thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the outer planets. Only once every 175 years does this exceptional planet arrangement occur, making Voyager 2's trip a truly historic one for space research.
Voyager 2 took advantage of a unique arrangement of the planets to give itself a boost from gravity as it passed each one. It would be able to reach Saturn with the help of Jupiter's enhanced velocity, which would further assist it travel to Uranus and eventually Neptune.
After completing its Grand Tour with success, Voyager 2 was modified for its interstellar mission. It made history in 2018 when, after Voyager 1, it entered interstellar space for the second time. This significant event signalled the spacecraft's separation from the heliosphere, the protective sphere that our solar system's solar wind has built around it.
Voyager 2 endured the harsh conditions of space, communicated with Earth from unimaginable distances, and overcame unforeseen challenges throughout its mission. This daring explorer promises to learn even more cosmic mysteries as it travels across space, motivating future generations to investigate the cosmos' beauty and gaze beyond our own solar system.
Voyager 2: A lost explorer in space
The spacecraft became only the second human-made object to enter interstellar space after its twin, Voyager 1, had achieved the milestone in 2012.These brave explorers now are the representatives of Earth, sending messages and facts about humanity outside the boundaries of our solar system.
The Deep Space Network, a global network of enormous radio antennae that enables NASA to connect with missions throughout the universe. As the Earth rotates, one of the three huge antennas is always in contact with a different spacecraft because they are all equally spaced apart. The first radio antenna, at Goldstone, is close to Barstow, California; the second, close to Madrid; and the third, close to Canberra, Australia.
Through NASA's Deep Space Network, Voyager 2 was able to stay in constant contact with Earth for several decades. Through this connection, scientists were able to send commands to the spacecraft to carry out critical movement and receive crucial data from the spacecraft. However, on July 21, 2023, Voyager 2's regular communications were interrupted.
On July 21, Voyager 2 received commands that accidentally changed its antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth. Due to the minor shift, Voyager 2 is no longer able to communicate with mission headquarters or send data back to Earth from its location more than 12.3 billion miles (19.9 billion kilometers) in interstellar space.
In order to maintain the direction of its antenna towards Earth, Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its position multiple times a year. Voyager 2 will undergo another reset on October 15 of this year, which should restore communication with Earth. Operators expect the spacecraft to maintain its intended course until the time comes.
A pulsing heartbeat across interstellar space
After losing touch with the spacecraft, which has been in operation for almost 46 years, the Voyager mission team at NASA was able to pick up a signal from Voyager 2.
Although Voyager 2 is still lost in space, NASA has received a "heartbeat" signal from spacecraft.
The Deep Space Network's ability to identify the spacecraft's "carrier signal" pleased the mission team.The mission team will now try to communicate with the spacecraft by sending a signal back to it.
Carrier signal- The carrier signal of Voyager 2 is a continuous radio frequency signal transmitted by the spacecraft. It serves as a reference signal for communication with Earth-based antennas and helps to establish and maintain a communication link between Voyager 2 and NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN).
Despite the fact that Voyager 2's antenna isn't set up to receive radio signals, NASA says the Deep Space Network transmission is essentially an effort to "shout" at the spacecraft and try to grab its attention.
Given the distance between Voyager 2 and Earth, it takes the signal approximately 18.5 hours to reach from Earth to the spacecraft.
Even if the Earth-based signals don’t reach Voyager 2, the team is hopeful that the program scheduled on 15 October 2023, will allow communications to resume with Voyager 2.
The ageing twin spacecrafts, have had problems before. The team has gradually shut down instruments in order to conserve power and extend their missions as these "senior citizens" continue to explore the mysteries of the universe.
Both Voyager 1 and 2 have experienced unforeseen issues and dropouts along the journey, including a seven-month stretch in 2020 when Voyager 2 and the Deep Space Network were unable to communicate with one another.
Without orders, the team expects that Voyager 2 will continue on its intended course. Nearly 15 billion miles (24 billion km) from Earth, Voyager 1 is still functioning as planned and maintaining contact with the Deep Space Network.
They are the only spacecraft that can operate outside of the heliosphere, the sun's bubble of magnetic fields and particles that extends well beyond Pluto's orbit, and they are both in interstellar space, gathering important data as they travel across unknown interstellar space.