Knowridge 9/15/2024
NASA engineers have successfully solved a tricky issue with Voyager 1’s thrusters, which are crucial to keeping the spacecraft pointed at Earth.
After 47 years of space travel, Voyager 1’s thrusters, which help it send and receive data, were not working as efficiently because a fuel tube became clogged.
The team had to switch to a different set of thrusters to fix the problem.
Voyager 1’s thrusters use liquid hydrazine fuel, which turns into gas and gently tilts the spacecraft’s antenna towards Earth. The spacecraft needs about 40 small bursts of gas each day to stay pointed correctly. But due to the clogged fuel tube, the thrusters couldn’t work properly.
Voyager 1 has three sets of thrusters: two sets for attitude control (which point the spacecraft) and one set for correcting its trajectory.
Over the years, the team has switched between these sets as needed. In 2002, they noticed clogging in one set and switched to another.
More:
https://knowridge.com/2024/09/scientists-save-47-years-old-of-voyager-1-from-disaster-with-daring-thruster-fix/
