Voyager Just Made A Horrifying Find After 45 Years!
Voyager 1 was sent into space in 1977 to study the outer limits of the solar system. In over four decades, it has given us useful insights into planets like Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune. In 2012, it entered interstellar space, becoming the first spacecraft to do so, and transmitted vital information regarding this unexplored part of the universe.
The frightening find of Voyager 1
Voyager 1 has recently returned baffling data that has scientists stumped. Over 14.5 billion miles from home, the probe started sending out false information regarding its position and status. In a surprising twist, it failed to switch to its preprogrammed safe mode, suggesting that something strange was happening in interstellar space.
A mysterious malfunction in the probe
NASA engineers found that Voyager 1 was transmitting
its data via an onboard computer that went out years earlier. The quirk
resulted in the information being received in corrupted form, making it
challenging to analyze the mission. Even though the issue was fixed by
diverting the transmission to a different system, the team still does not know
why the ship suddenly altered its data processing for no known reason.
A natural occurrence or something more?
The mystery of this event has produced several
theories. Some scientists are of the view that it is perhaps because
interstellar space has high radiation, an unexplored area riddled with
energetic particles. Some others, though, speculate that there might be
external interference by some unknown kind of intelligence toying with the
probe.
The future of Voyager 1 and its legacy
In spite of all these issues, Voyager 1 is still running, but with limited power. It uses radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which are less efficient as time goes by. The spacecraft is likely to cease operations within the next few years, it is estimated. Meanwhile, researchers will continue to study its data to gain further insights into the interstellar medium and to solve the enigma of its recent anomaly.
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