Current:Home > FinanceNASA reports unplanned 'communications pause' with historic Voyager 2 probe carrying 'golden record'-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
NASA reports unplanned 'communications pause' with historic Voyager 2 probe carrying 'golden record'
View Date:2024-12-23 15:10:50
NASA's historic Voyager 2 probe is experiencing an unplanned "communications pause" after the space agency revealed that the spacecraft's antenna was inadvertently pointed into the wrong direction.
Mission control transmitted a series of routine commands on July 21 that had the unintended effect of triggering a 2-degree change in Voyager 2's antenna orientation, NASA announced on Friday. As a result, the deep-space probe's ability to receive commands or transmit data back to Earth has been disrupted.
The spacecraft first launched into orbit in 1977 carrying a "golden record" to act as a time capsule if it encounters any extraterrestrial lifeforms.
The issue has prevented Voyager 2's data transmission from reaching the array of giant radio network antennas known as the Deep Space Network, whose team of ground controllers are similarly unable to communicate with the probe.
NASA is hopeful that the technical glitch is only temporary, and that when the spacecraft resets its orientation in October, communication lines will reopen between it and the ground control team. That reset is planned for Oct. 15, and NASA expects the spacecraft will remain on its planned trajectory until then.
UFO hearing:Witnesses call for increased military transparency before Congress
Where is Voyager 2 now?
Voyager 2 is 12.4 billion miles from Earth.
The spacecraft is one of two twin probes launched in 1977 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to explore planets in the outer solar system − particularly Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 1, which NASA said was not impeded by the glitch, in 2012 became the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space and − at 14.8 billion miles away − is the farthest human-made object from Earth.
Mysterious interstellar signal:Researchers discover 'extraordinary' interstellar radio signal reaching Earth
Voyager 2 reached interstellar space in 2018 and has the distinction of being the only spacecraft to have explored Uranus and Neptune.
The 'golden record' on board Voyager
Both Voyager spacecrafts also carry a so-called "golden record" as a greeting to any lifeform they may encounter. The phonograph record − a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk − contains sounds, images, spoken greetings in 55 languages, and musical selections of various cultures and eras intended to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta.
veryGood! (12522)
Related
- American Idol’s Triston Harper, 16, Expecting a Baby With Wife Paris Reed
- Drier Autumns Are Fueling Deadly California Wildfires
- A newborn was surrendered to Florida's only safe haven baby box. Here's how they work
- Trump ready to tell his side of story as he's arraigned in documents case, says spokesperson Alina Habba
- Why Jersey Shore's Jenni JWoww Farley May Not Marry Her Fiancé Zack Clayton
- 24-Hour Flash Deal: Save 55% On the Cult Favorite Josie Maran Whipped Argan Body Butter
- Acid poured on slides at Massachusetts playground; children suffer burns
- Rihanna, Kaley Cuoco and More Stars Celebrating Their First Mother's Day in 2023
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year
- Meadow Walker Shares Heartwarming Signs She Receives From Late Dad Paul Walker
Ranking
- Climate Advocacy Groups Say They’re Ready for Trump 2.0
- Bernie Sanders on Climate Change: Where the Candidate Stands
- All the TV Moms We Wish Would Adopt Us
- Meet the Country Music Legend Replacing Blake Shelton on The Voice
- NYC bans unusual practice of forcing tenants to pay real estate brokers hired by landlords
- With less access to paid leave, rural workers face hard choices about health, family
- Inside Blake Lively's Family World With Ryan Reynolds, 4 Kids and Countless Wisecracks
- Conspiracy theorists hounded Grant Wahl's family when he died. Now they're back
Recommendation
-
Kristin Cavallari's Ex Mark Estes Jokingly Proposed to This Love Island USA Star
-
Sunnylife’s Long Weekend Must-Haves Make Any Day a Day at the Beach
-
Can you get COVID and the flu at the same time?
-
Oversight Committee subpoenas former Hunter Biden business partner
-
Elton John Details Strict Diet in His 70s
-
A Colorado library will reopen after traces of meth were found in the building
-
Video: The Standing Rock ‘Water Protectors’ Who Refuse to Leave and Why
-
At least 1.7 million Americans use health care sharing plans, despite lack of protections