Voyager 1’s Hail Mary Thruster Fix Extends Its Epic Journey
NASA engineers successfully reactivated Voyager 1’s primary roll thrusters, deemed inoperable since 2004, to address a critical fuel line clog in the backup system. This maneuver, completed in March, involved restoring power to the thrusters’ heaters, allowing the spacecraft to automatically correct its orientation when it drifted from its guide star. The reactivation prevents the loss of communication with Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object, which is currently over 15.6 billion miles from Earth. This successful reactivation represents a significant engineering achievement, extending the lifespan of the nearly 50-year-old spacecraft.
John Q. Hosedrinker