NASA receives the transmitted data in binary code
After traversing billions of miles and spending almost five decades in space, NASA's Voyager 1 space probe has started sending nonsensical data back to Earth. Launched in 1977, the spacecraft was originally on a five-year mission to fly past Jupiter and Saturn but somehow it has continued to venture further into space for the past 46 years. It has become the first human-made object to leave the solar system, BBC reported.
In 2023, it typically takes over 22 hours for signals from Voyager 1 to reach Earth. However, NASA reports that the probe, currently situated 15 billion miles away from our planet, is experiencing a communications glitch.
Voyager 1 is equipped with three onboard computers: one dedicated to flight data, collecting information from the spacecraft's scientific instruments, and another handling engineering data, functioning like a coded health bar reflecting Voyager 1's status.
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."
Last year, NASA revealed its decision to deactivate certain systems on both Voyager 1 and its counterpart, Voyager 2. This strategic move aims to maximize their operational lifespan until their plutonium power sources are depleted.
Anticipations suggest that these probes will remain functional until 2030. After reaching this milestone, their transmitters and instruments will cease to function, leading the spacecraft to undergo a shutdown, ultimately drifting aimlessly through space.
These remarkable spacecraft hold the distinction of being the only human-made objects to operate beyond the heliosphere expansive region of the Sun's magnetic fields and particles that extend far beyond the orbit of Pluto.