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NASA extends Voyager 2's mission by 3 years with new power plan.

1 min read
Source: ScienceAlert
NASA extends Voyager 2's mission by 3 years with new power plan.
Photo: ScienceAlert
TL;DR

NASA has found a way to hack a backup source of power to keep Voyager 2 going until 2026, postponing its demise. Voyager 1 and 2 have provided crucial scientific information in their 45 years of spaceflight and are currently traveling in interstellar space, 12 and 14 billion miles away from Earth. NASA engineers found a way to divert power from a safety mechanism designed to turn on if the probes' circuit malfunctions because of voltage variations, allowing them to keep the science instruments turned on longer.

Topics:sciencescience-and-technology#interstellar-space#nasa#power-system#science-and-technology#space-exploration#voyager-2
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  1. NASA Hacks Voyager 2 to Keep The 45-Year-Old Probe Studying Interstellar Space  ScienceAlert
  2. NASA refuses goodbye to its old Voyager spacecraft  Mashable
  3. Voyager 2 has been in space for 45 years. NASA just found a way to keep it alive for another 3, despite it being 12 billion miles from Earth.  msnNOW
  4. NASA 'Trick' Boosts Voyager 2's Life by 3 Years  Newser
  5. New power plan will keep Voyager 2 running even longer  BGR

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