NASA Power Hack Extends 45-Year Voyager 2 Mission Even Longer
NASA's Voyager 2 probe, which is currently 12 billion miles away from Earth, has been granted an extension to its mission thanks to a newly implemented plan to redirect a small amount of power meant for an onboard safety system. This means all five of its scientific instruments can remain active until 2026, rather than having to shut down one of them next year. The Voyager probes were launched in 1977 and have visited several planets in the outer solar system, as well as tickling the outer fringes of the heliosphere, a protective region of space surrounding the sun. The probes continue to gather unprecedented data about the heliosphere and its protective qualities.
Photo Credit: NASA