On February 26, 2021, the world was shaken to learn that contact with Voyager 1, one of humanity’s most successful and beloved space probes, suddenly ceased. Launched on September 5, 1977, the spacecraft contains an incredible array of scientific instruments, including the famous “Golden Record,” which contains images and sounds of Earth for any extraterrestrial voyagers that may come across it. With the loss of contact, humanity’s oldest spacecraft in interstellar space joined its twin in the great unknown.
For almost two weeks, scientists, engineers, and countless other concerned individuals waited with baited breath to learn why Voyager 1 went silent. On March 10, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory received a series of signals that rejuvenated hopes that the probe could be salvaged. Additional data soon revealed the problem was the spacecraft’s attitude control thrusters, which had burned out after 43 years of faithful service.
With the thruster issue sorted, mission controllers began the painstaking process of varying the thrusters’ firing duration to determine which were still functioning and to judge how much control the remaining thrusters retain. The efforts were rewarded when manual returning control sent commands to the spacecraft for the first time since February 26. On March 20th, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory officially announced that Voyager 1 was back in contact with Earth.
Not only is Voyager 1’s return a major victory for the mission, but it also highlights the remarkable success of the mission controllers. For over four decades, these highly trained professionals have been managing all aspects of the spacecraft’s operation, and the new data gathered from Voyager’s most recent mission will greatly improve our understanding of the distant reaches of our solar system.
Voyager 1 has been nothing short of a marvel in humanity’s quest for exploration and knowledge. We can be certain that this interplanetary adventurer still has much to show us about the mysteries of the universe, and now that it is safely back in contact, who knows what incredible revelations it may bring?