Voyager 1 spacecraft thrusters fired up for first time since 1980 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Homer J Simpson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 12:25:43 am
content: http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/us/voyager-1-thrusters-fired-first-time-since-1980/index.html

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 01:36:02 am
content: Just amazing.What a credit to the engineers who have built this thing with the technology of the day which still works given the harsh environment of space.It also blows my mind that we're able to send and receive data from an object that's almost 19 billion kilometres from Earth! Sure the data rate is slow, but just wow! I'm not sure what the rate is coming from VGR1, but we're receiving data from VGR2 at about 16 bytes/sec, so I'd imagine VGR1 is roughly around the same.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 01:36:16 am
content: Quote

author: raptor1956
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 03:13:38 am
content: The two Voyager space probes will surely go down as one of our greatest achievements and nearly 40 year on they're still doing there job. Those first pictures, up close and personal, with Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, though eclipsed by later missions, were nonetheless watershed moments in solar system science. They had a once in a lifetime opportunity to do a grand tour taking advantage of the alignment of the outer planets and made the most of it. The era of US space exploration that began with Mercury, then continued with Gemini and Apollo, and then culminated with the first Mars lander and Voyager are the high water mark of US engineering. And to think that much of it was done using slide rules and drafting tables.Brian

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 12:26:27 pm
content: The FarthestHighly recommended for anyone interested in space exploration.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 12:40:43 pm
content: Not to nitpick, but it was a case of the TCM thrusters hadn't been fired up since 1980. The attitude control thrusters have been used since launch, but they are running out of fuel. The fact they could be re-purposed to step in and take over is another engineering milestone that should go down in history.I love the Voyager craft. To me they are a milestone of the human engineering prowess and a massive tip of the hat to the US and the Engineering capability it developed. The fact they are still powering on is a testament to the pre-"cost down" engineering era and still something to aspire to (if you are not beholden to "shareholder value").

author: Messtechniker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 02:10:44 pm
content: Quote from: raptor1956 on December 03, 2017, 03:13:38 amWhich makes me wander which sort of electrolytic? capacitors were used for theelectronics of this spacecraft or any long life spacecraft for that matter?Probably nothing off the shelf.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 05:38:07 pm
content: Quote from: Messtechniker on December 03, 2017, 02:10:44 pmWet tantalums.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 06:15:31 pm
content: Every ten degrees colder doubles lifetime does that also count below zero?

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 07:07:31 pm
content: I think it was that documentary that pointed out that long after the sun has become a red giant, and swallowed up the earth and everything on it, these spacecraft will still be making their way through interstellar space, and the gold platter will still likely be playable.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 09:06:25 pm
content: The Voyager missions are also known for their ability to expose reporter's space and science ignorance.For instance this gem fromhttp://www.presstv.com/Detail/2017/12/02/544198/NASA-Voyager-Earth-Planet"The plutonium-powered spaceships will continue until they finally run out of fuel, and will then orbit in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. (Source: AFP)"And before anyone jumps on me, yes I know that technically they will be orbiting the center of gravity of the galaxy. And something like that is probably what the reporter distorted through misunderstanding.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2017, 09:12:10 pm
content: Quote from: raptor1956 on December 03, 2017, 03:13:38 amNot Uranus and Neptune, Voyager II was the last to go there.

author: Lord of nothing
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 04:21:35 pm
content: Why not fire the hole fuel up so the reach the next galaxy faster?

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 04:32:37 pm
content: Quote from: Lord of nothing on December 04, 2017, 04:21:35 pmBecause then you can not communicate with the craft anymore.The only reason for firing the trusters was a minute rotation correction so the dish was aligned with earth.Question will they have to correct the rotation for the coming 40000 years till the craft finally reaches its destination?

author: Lord of nothing
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 04:42:02 pm
content: I believe there will be better and fast ships who can overtake the slow Voyager so why does the need any connection?

author: HalFET
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 04:49:00 pm
content: Quote from: Kjelt on December 04, 2017, 04:32:37 pmI doubt the RTG will last that long, not sure if there are numbers on it? I'd expect the output to go too low in about 10-20 years given their age and size. Depends a bit on how long they were in storage beforehand.When we do build something that can catch up with it we should go and replace the RTG out of principle.

author: glarsson
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 05:11:28 pm
content: Quote from: Lord of nothing on December 04, 2017, 04:42:02 pmThe Voyagers use the connection to send science data NOW.A faster ship has not been built, launched nor overtaken any Voyager. It is therefore not sending any science data now.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 06:14:16 pm
content: Interstellar 8-Track: How Voyager's Vintage Tech Keeps RunningQuote( Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager at JPL )

author: Nerull
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 07:37:28 pm
content: There will always be something better coming along in the future, that's the nature of technology. If all you ever do is sit and wait for technology to improve, you'll be waiting forever and will have accomplished nothing.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 08:39:28 pm
content: It's incredible how far that is now and how we can still talk to it.I wonder though, how did they send a command if the dish was not pointing to Earth? Does it also have an omni receiver antenna? The amount of precision to beam a signal that far would be crazy though! Must be nerve wracking to send a command and have to wait so long to know if it did anything. The fact that it takes so long is incredible in itself as it just shows how crazy far it is.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 09:00:38 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 04, 2017, 08:39:28 pmIf the alignment wasn't totally off they could still send a signal from earth to Voyager as the transmit power on earth is magnitudes greater then what Voyager is transmitting back to earth.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 09:53:04 pm
content: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/Look to the top of the page and watch how fast the distance from Earth increases.

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 10:10:52 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on December 03, 2017, 12:26:27 pmJust downloaded it, watching it now, let you know if it is good...

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 10:16:32 pm
content: Also;thanks to Voyager and its famous photograph "The Pale Blue Dot", Carl Sagan wrote one of the greatest, if not the greatest, eulogy to space exploration.

author: Vtile
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 10:30:20 pm
content: Quote from: raptor1956 on December 03, 2017, 03:13:38 amI'm pretty sure every engineer had HP-35 (1972) as their slide rule and by the date 1977 there were even a programmable ones in the market.That said I would be surprised if NASA didn't have a mainframe at that time.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 05:38:49 am
content: It is impressive that this worked after all this time, but what really impresses me is that none of the connections, pressure relief valves, control valves and so on in the fuel system leaked enough to eliminate the fuel supply.

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 12:05:39 pm
content: For those who know, get BBC's 'The.Farthest.Voyagers.Interstellar.Journey' at MVG.I give it 5 stars.Did you know that at the last minute, the engineers on Voyager ran to supermarkets to purchase good old fashioned tinfoil for added shielding of the electronics in both probes, otherwise they would have died in Jupiter magnetic field. Yes, they have household tinfoil in them, and Voyager 1 is over 11 billion miles away from us now, thanks in part to having that added tinfoil, for real, watch the documentary... Of course, the Golden Record is what's important now...

author: Gixy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 02:56:56 pm
content: QuoteSadly not viewable outside UK due to rights issues...

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 04:39:18 pm
content: Surely one of the greatest engineering achievements in, well, maybe forever. Nearly 40 years in space, the harshest possible environment, and STILL functioning.

author: StillTrying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 09:33:36 pm
content: "Sadly not viewable outside UK"I don't know if this will work or not.http://ihavenotv.com/the-farthest-voyagers-interstellar-journey-storyville

author: Gixy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 06:26:06 am
content: Doesn't work with IE nor Firefox. Didn't try with Chrome.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 09:04:26 am
content: Quote from: rdl on December 03, 2017, 12:26:27 pmThat was very good, thanks!

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 09:20:23 am
content: Great documentary! Some fantastic images (even the computer generated ones).If you do a bit of Googling, you should be able to find it fairly easily.*cough*

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 10:02:51 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on December 06, 2017, 09:20:23 amUuugllly, cropped and cut, low res, bad sound...Here is the true real McCoy:http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=The_Farthest:_Voyager%27s_Interstellar_JourneySubtitles available too.Enjoy!

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 10:25:36 am
content: Sorry my bad. I did download the original HD copy but I couldn't find the original link anymore.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 12:03:56 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 04, 2017, 08:39:28 pm

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 01:11:55 pm
content: Quote from: Gixy on December 06, 2017, 06:26:06 amWorks fine for me in Chrome, Firefox and IE.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 01:26:16 pm
content: Quote from: Gixy on December 05, 2017, 02:56:56 pmThis is exactly why I have a Raspberry Pi 3 under the telephone table at my inlaws place in Scotland

author: StillTrying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 03:16:13 pm
content: Quote from: BradC on December 06, 2017, 01:26:16 pmWhat does it do ?

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2017, 10:47:53 pm
content: Quote from: StillTrying on December 06, 2017, 03:16:13 pmGives me a presence in the UK with access to iplayer.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 07, 2017, 03:32:44 am
content: Well, this news should make Captain Janeway happy...

author: Nerull
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 07, 2017, 08:41:53 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 04, 2017, 08:39:28 pmThey aren't just sitting on their thumbs waiting for voyager to drift off-axis. They know well in advance what maneuvers it needs to make and they aren't commanding them in real time.

author: Lord of nothing
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 07, 2017, 09:26:26 pm
content: omg there are still a Team who got paid by Tax Money and look after the flying wreckage?

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2017, 12:31:41 am
content: Quote from: BradC on December 03, 2017, 12:40:43 pmAll the thrusters use the same hydrazine source. So it's not running out of fuel so much as becoming less fuel-efficient as they got reamed out from extended use. The TCM thrusters are still fresh. However, the TCM thrusters are separated and more remote and power is required to heat fuel lines. Right now that power can be budgeted, but when that is no longer possible they'll revert to using the worn thrusters. Better than nothing.