After 18,8 billions of km and 43 years of activity, the probe still regularly sends signals, but recently it also answered back to a signal sent by Earth
No doubts. Voyager twins probes are still the furthest human hand-made objects in space. When they were launched in 1977, they were built to "live" for 3 or 4 years, as the normal activity period about a space probe: they travelled through the space, reaching Jupiter first, Saturn next and studying them in-place deeper than ever. Differently by Voyager 1, that left the Solar System in 1981, Voyager 2 still travelled, because of a particular planetary alignment, to reach Uranus in January 1986, and Neptune in August 1989 studying them for the first (and unique) time ever.
During all this period, the probe has always kept the minimum tools necessarily to basic functions: after the rendezvous with Neptune, the probe left the Solar System in south direction and for this reason, today antennas in Earth north hemisphere can no more communicate with it. Differently in south hemisphere: the only tools that can maintain the communication is the Deep Space System 43 in Canberra, Australia, a 70 meters diameter antenna, built 47 years ago!
Due to this, at the Deep Space Network had thought that was the moment to upgrade the electronics, even for the imminent space missions on Mars. During the test executed in October, they sent to the probe a command series receiving an answer back! An amazing result if we think that signals spend nearly 18 hours to reach the probe (and other 18 to come back)
"Here Voyager 2, from Interstellar space. Thank you"
See you next time
Photo Credits: Nasa and Robert Kerton
