NASA's Voyager 1 is sending mysterious data from beyond our solar system. Scientists are unsure what it means.

[Windwaver]

https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-engineers-puzzled-by-mysterious-signals-from-voyager-1-2022-5

• NASA said Voyager 1 is sending data that doesn't match the spacecraft's movements.
• The veteran spacecraft has been exploring our solar system and interstellar space since 1977.
• It is now 14.5 billion miles away from Earth, making it the most distant human-made object.

NASA's Voyager 1 is continuing its journey beyond our solar system, 45 years after it was launched. But now the veteran spacecraft is sending back strange data, puzzling its engineers.

NASA said on Wednesday that while the probe is still operating properly, readouts from its attitude articulation and control system — AACS for short — don't seem to match the spacecraft's movements and orientation, suggesting the craft is confused about its location in space. The AACS is essential for Voyager to send NASA data about its surrounding interstellar environment as it keeps the craft's antenna pointing right at our planet.

"A mystery like this is sort of par for the course at this stage of the Voyager mission," Suzanne Dodd, a project manager for Voyager 1 and 2 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "The spacecraft are both almost 45 years old, which is far beyond what the mission planners anticipated." NASA said Voyager 1's twin, the Voyager 2 probe, is behaving normally.

Launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets in our solar system, Voyager 1 has remained operational long past expectations and continues to send information about its journeys back to Earth. The trailblazing craft left our solar system and entered interstellar space in 2012. It is now 14.5 billion miles away from Earth, making it the most distant human-made object.

NASA said that from what its engineers can tell, Voyager 1's AACS is sending randomly generated data that does not "reflect what's actually happening onboard." But even if system data suggests otherwise, the spacecraft's antenna seems to be properly aligned — it is receiving and executing commands from NASA and sending data back to Earth. It said that so far the system issue hasn't triggered the aging spacecraft to go into "safe mode," during which it carries out only essential operations.

"Until the nature of the issue is better understood, the team cannot anticipate whether this might affect how long the spacecraft can collect and transmit science data," NASA said.

Dodd and her team hope to figure out what's prompting the robot emissary from Earth to send junky data. "There are some big challenges for the engineering team," Dodd said. A major one: It takes light 20 hours and 33 minutes to get to Voyager's current interstellar location, so a round-trip message between the space agency and Voyager takes two days.

"But I think if there's a way to solve this issue with the AACS, our team will find it," Dodd added.

[Maxus-MIFA9]

So, can ET now phone home ? .... 

[Maxus-MIFA9]

No wonder Earth had been getting hotter this decade with polar ice caps melting .... 

ET had been sending Radio & Heat waves to earth using Voyager 1 transmission signal (wave length). 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Picnic06-Biante15

[mersaylee]

  On 5/20/2022 at 12:53 AM, Picnic06-Biante15 said:

So, can ET now phone home ? .... 

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SIM won't work on AACS lah

a satellite phone still got chance...but that's still beaming back down or around dirt...i mean earth 😁

[Kxbc]

Prob caught in a traction beam by USS Enterprise sent back from the future. Therefore, cannot control its navigation anymore.

Sorry, too much Star Trek these couple of weeks. 😁

[mersaylee]

  On 5/20/2022 at 12:58 AM, Picnic06-Biante15 said:

No wonder Earth had been getting hotter this decade with polar ice caps melting .... 

ET had been sending Radio & Heat waves to earth using Voyager 1 transmission signal. 

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This ET? 😁

[Maxus-MIFA9]

  On 5/20/2022 at 1:07 AM, mersaylee said:

SIM won't work on AACS lah

a satellite phone still got chance...but that's still beaming back down or around dirt...i mean earth 😁

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5G might work .... 

Too bad, NASA don't trust Huawei .... 

[mersaylee]

  On 5/20/2022 at 1:07 AM, Kxbc said:

Prob caught in a traction beam by USS Enterprise sent back from the future. Therefore, cannot control its navigation anymore.

Sorry, too much Star Trek these couple of weeks. 😁

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I tink it's more of a marvel...

Maybe someone needs to charge the pager once in while...own power too detrimental to the petite device...😁

[ToyotaShuttle]

Is it V'ger?

[1fast1]

  On 5/20/2022 at 1:38 AM, ToyotaShuttle said:

Is it V'ger?

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Clearly a man of taste and discernment, at least in this respect. 

Those who know, know. 

[RadX]

Must be Thanos from another MultiVerse la

[Blueray]

  On 5/20/2022 at 1:38 AM, ToyotaShuttle said:

Is it V'ger?

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yes.

 

[Ghgan]

Likely alien is sending 1st contact information via Voyager 1, it is only a matter of time before NASA figure out the message.

Hopefully is just a friendly message and not a warning of invasion or assimilation.

 

[Windwaver]

  On 5/20/2022 at 2:19 AM, Turboflat4 said:

Clearly a man of taste and discernment, at least in this respect. 

Those who know, know. 

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Updated 

[mersaylee]

  On 5/20/2022 at 2:37 AM, Ghgan said:

Likely alien is sending 1st contact information via Voyager 1, it is only a matter of time before NASA figure out the message.

Hopefully is just a friendly message and not a warning of invasion or assimilation.

 

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Sekali is a message to earth not to anyhow throw rubbish...😁

[Stary]

I am wondering what kind of communication technology they use to be able to communicate with a probe 14.5 billion miles away?

Also, can the trajectory of that probe still be controlled from Earth or it is just floating around?

 

[shrjun]

Voyager 1 and 2 are very impressive in what they have accomplished and how far they have travelled with the primitive tech available decades ago.

[DOBIEMKZ]

  On 5/20/2022 at 3:54 AM, Starry said:

I am wondering what kind of communication technology they use to be able to communicate with a probe 14.5 billion miles away?

Also, can the trajectory of that probe still be controlled from Earth or it is just floating around?

 

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The article said that the probe's antenna is programmed to align towards Earth. Marvellous!😄