All articles tagged with #end of mission
NASA steered the Galileo orbiter into Jupiter in 2003 on a controlled, propellant-limited end to prevent possible Earth microbes from contaminating Europa, which magnetic data and geology make a strong case for a deep salty ocean beneath its icy shell. The disposal occurred without sterilization proof, prioritizing future measurements and the protection of a potentially habitable world over extending the mission.
NASA's Voyager 1 probe, the most distant human-made object from Earth, is experiencing a glitch in its communication system, causing it to send back a repetitive jumble of 1s and 0s. Engineers are working to fix the issue from 15 billion miles away, but it may take days to determine if their attempts are successful. This is not the first time Voyager 1 has faced communication problems, and its aging technology serves as a reminder that its days are numbered. Despite its eventual silence, there are suggestions to send a final message that could potentially be discovered by extraterrestrial beings in the future.