NASA

NASA shuts down Voyager 2 science instrument as power diminishes

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A spacecraft with a white dome dominating its structure against a red and brown background

NASA engineers have shut down one of Voyager 2’s science instruments due to the spacecraft’s power supply dwindling as it explores interstellar space. Voyager 2 launched into space on August 20, 1977 and left the solar system on November 5, 2018. It is currently 12.8 billion miles (20.5 billion kilometers) from Earth and is using … Read more

NASA disables one of Voyager 2’s science instruments

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Voyager 2. Credit: NASA

The two Voyager spacecraft have been hurtling through space since 1977, powered by decaying pieces of plutonium that produce less and less energy each year. With less electricity available, NASA has decided to shut down an experiment on Voyager 2, the plasma science instrument. This device measures the amount and direction of ionized particles passing … Read more