KEY POINTS

  • A system on Voyager 1 was apparently sending data from the wrong computer
  • Engineers have declared Voyager 1 healthy again
  • They are still investigating the underlying issue that caused the problem

NASA engineers have finally figured out what was causing the Voyager 1 spacecraft's data glitch after months. They have also corrected the issue with a simple fix.

It was back in May when NASA noted that engineers were working on an issue with the 45-year-old spacecraft. The problem lay somewhere with the Voyager 1's attitude articulation and control system (AACS).

"All signs suggest the AACS is still working, but the telemetry data it's returning is invalid," NASA explained then. "For instance, the data may appear to be randomly generated, or does not reflect any possible state the AACS could be in."

In other words, it was sending "garbled information" about its condition even though it was actually working fine.

At the time, Voyager 1 and 2 project manager Suzanne Dodd noted the possibility that teams won't find the source of the problem, and would have to adapt instead. But on Tuesday, the agency announced that engineers have pinpointed what was causing the issue.

It turns out, the AACS was sending data through the wrong computer.

"The AACS had started sending the telemetry data through an onboard computer known to have stopped working years ago, and the computer corrupted the information," NASA said.

To solve the problem, engineers simply commanded the AACS to send the data again using the right computer. In a tweet, the NASA Voyager account noted that engineers have "declared" it healthy.

"The team has declared me healthy, which is great, because I still have more interstellar exploring to do!"

As for what caused the issue in the first place, that remains unclear. But it's possible, NASA said, that the AACS received the "faulty command" to use the wrong computer from another onboard computer. For now, engineers are still trying to get to the bottom of the issue.

"We're happy to have the telemetry back," Dodd said in the news release Tuesday. "We'll do a full memory readout of the AACS and look at everything it's been doing. That will help us try to diagnose the problem that caused the telemetry issue in the first place. So we're cautiously optimistic, but we still have more investigating to do."

Launched on Sept. 5, 1977, Voyager 1 has been on its mission for over 40 years. Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched just a month apart, have since reached interstellar space.

Those interested may see where they are in their journeys via NASA/JPL-Caltech's Eyes on the Solar System here.

Voyager
In this artist's conception, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has a bird's-eye view of the solar system. The circles represent the orbits of the major outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 visited the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The spacecraft is now 13 billion miles from Earth, making it the farthest and fastest-moving human-made object ever built. In fact, Voyager 1 is now zooming through interstellar space, the region between the stars that is filled with gas, dust, and material recycled from dying stars. NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)