Having journeyed billions of miles over nearly five decades in space, NASA‘s Voyager 1 space probe has started transmitting inexplicable data back to Earth. Launched in 1977 with an initial five-year mission to explore Jupiter and Saturn, the spacecraft has surpassed expectations and is now the first human-made object to exit the solar system, according to BBC reports.
As of 2023, it takes more than 22 hours for signals from Voyager 1 to reach Earth. NASA has reported a communication glitch with the probe, currently positioned 15 billion miles away. Voyager 1 is equipped with three onboard computers, each serving distinct purposes: one dedicated to flight data, collecting information from scientific instruments, and another managing engineering data, acting as a coded health monitor for Voyager 1’s operational status. Having journeyed billions
On Earth, NASA receives the transmitted data in binary code, a language using zeroes and ones to represent letters, numbers, and symbols. Binary code is named as such due to its reliance on only two symbols.
However, a notable issue has arisen as the probe is now exhibiting repetitive behaviour, consistently sending the same code snippet. This repetition has prompted scientists to suspect a malfunction in the spacecraft.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, responsible for managing numerous robotic missions, addressed the situation on social media, stating, “The NASA Voyager team is investigating an issue with Voyager 1’s Flight Data System. The spacecraft is receiving and executing commands sent from Earth but not returning usable data.