{"id":132564,"date":"2024-12-02T18:47:10","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T11:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=132564"},"modified":"2024-12-02T18:47:10","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T11:47:10","slug":"the-end-is-near-for-nasas-voyager-probes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=132564","title":{"rendered":"The End Is Near for NASA\u2019s Voyager Probes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"AssetEmbedWrapper-eVDQiB byBkf asset-embed\">\n<div class=\"AssetEmbedAssetContainer-eJxoAx dBHGoQ asset-embed__asset-container\"><span class=\"SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB responsive-asset AssetEmbedResponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__responsive-asset\"><picture class=\"ResponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa AssetEmbedResponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__responsive-asset responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image may contain Astronomy Outer Space Planet and Globe\" class=\"ResponsiveImageContainer-eybHBd fptoWY responsive-image__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/560647923\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_120,c_limit\/560647923 120w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_240,c_limit\/560647923 240w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_320,c_limit\/560647923 320w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_640,c_limit\/560647923 640w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_960,c_limit\/560647923 960w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_1280,c_limit\/560647923 1280w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725eddbfe570cb4ccd629\/master\/w_1600,c_limit\/560647923 1600w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"CaptionWrapper-jSZdqE fJvQtP caption AssetEmbedCaption-fNQBPI dDrfgT asset-embed__caption\"><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptionText-bHjzlu iUEiRd kVUvEC iXWezO caption__text\"><\/p>\n<p>Saturn as captured by the Voyager program.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptionCredit-ejegDm iUEiRd isTgyB fNaHcW caption__credit\">Smith Collection\/Gado\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paywall\">Once the Voyagers\u2019 planetary journeys were over, it was possible to begin a new mission phase. After their last planetary stops, both probes reached escape velocity for the solar system, allowing them to be released from the sun\u2019s gravity. Since 2012 for Voyager 1, and 2018 for Voyager 2, they have become interstellar. We know this because after those dates, sensors on the probes showed that charged particles from the sun became less numerous and energetic than those detected from the galactic environment. This was a golden opportunity to study the boundaries of the solar system and the environment outside of it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"AssetEmbedWrapper-eVDQiB byBkf asset-embed\">\n<div class=\"AssetEmbedAssetContainer-eJxoAx dBHGoQ asset-embed__asset-container\"><span class=\"SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB responsive-asset AssetEmbedResponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__responsive-asset\"><picture class=\"ResponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa AssetEmbedResponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__responsive-asset responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image may contain John Zaremba Adult Person Worker Face and Head\" class=\"ResponsiveImageContainer-eybHBd fptoWY responsive-image__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/164430716\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_120,c_limit\/164430716 120w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_240,c_limit\/164430716 240w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_320,c_limit\/164430716 320w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_640,c_limit\/164430716 640w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_960,c_limit\/164430716 960w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_1280,c_limit\/164430716 1280w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ee9cef5f7146460538\/master\/w_1600,c_limit\/164430716 1600w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"CaptionWrapper-jSZdqE fJvQtP caption AssetEmbedCaption-fNQBPI dDrfgT asset-embed__caption\"><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptionText-bHjzlu iUEiRd kVUvEC iXWezO caption__text\"><\/p>\n<p>The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft carried Golden Records\u2014recordings of sounds and images intended to show extraterrestrial beings the life and culture of Earth.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptionCredit-ejegDm iUEiRd isTgyB fNaHcW caption__credit\">Space Frontiers\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"paywall\">The Secret to a Long Life<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paywall\">Reaching such a distance is only possible with the right energy source. Many probes use solar panels, but if they move too far from the sun, they become useless (the farthest probe that uses them is the Juno probe orbiting Jupiter). The secret of the Voyagers lies in their atomic hearts: both are equipped with three <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mAs90sv_u3A?si=snc85PYWfFfHIngR\">radioisotope thermoelectric generators<\/a>, or RTGs\u2014small power generators that can produce power directly on board. Each RTG contains 24 plutonium-238 oxide spheres with a total mass of 4.5 kilograms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\">Plutonium-238 is an unstable isotope, which means it undergoes radioactive decay. The plutonium atoms in the RTGs release alpha particles\u2014comprising two protons and two neutrons\u2014and these hit the RTG canister, heating it up. The heat is then converted into electricity.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"AssetEmbedWrapper-eVDQiB byBkf asset-embed\">\n<div class=\"AssetEmbedAssetContainer-eJxoAx dBHGoQ asset-embed__asset-container\"><span class=\"SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB responsive-asset AssetEmbedResponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__responsive-asset\"><picture class=\"ResponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa AssetEmbedResponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__responsive-asset responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An RTG built for the Voyager program.\" class=\"ResponsiveImageContainer-eybHBd fptoWY responsive-image__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_120,c_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif 120w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_240,c_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif 240w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_320,c_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif 320w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_640,c_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif 640w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_960,c_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif 960w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_1280,c_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif 1280w, https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/674725ef9cef5f7146460539\/master\/w_1600,c_limit\/MHW-RTGs.gif 1600w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"CaptionWrapper-jSZdqE fJvQtP caption AssetEmbedCaption-fNQBPI dDrfgT asset-embed__caption\"><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptionText-bHjzlu iUEiRd kVUvEC iXWezO caption__text\"><\/p>\n<p>An RTG built for the Voyager program.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptionCredit-ejegDm iUEiRd isTgyB fNaHcW caption__credit\">NASA\/JPL\/Voyager<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paywall\">But as time passes, the plutonium on board is depleted, and so the RTGs produce less and less energy. The Voyagers are therefore slowly dying. Nuclear batteries have a maximum lifespan of 60 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\">In order to conserve the probes\u2019 remaining energy, the mission team is gradually shutting down the various instruments on the probes that are still active. For example, in October, Voyager 2\u2019s plasma science instrument\u2014which measures electrically charged atoms passing the probe\u2014was turned off; the same device on Voyager 1 was turned off in 2007 due to a malfunction. These instruments were used to study charged particles in the sun\u2019s magnetic field, and it is precisely this detector in 2018 that determined that Voyager 2 had exited the heliosphere and become interstellar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\">Four active instruments remain, including a magnetometer as well as other instruments used to study the galactic environment, with its cosmic rays and interstellar magnetic field. But these are in their last years. In the next decade\u2014it\u2019s hard to say exactly when\u2014the batteries of both probes will be drained forever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\"><em>This story originally appeared on<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/es.wired.com\/articulos\/lluvias-extremas-seran-cada-vez-mas-frecuentes-como-evitar-catastrofes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WIRED Italia<\/a> <em>and has been translated from Italian.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-end-is-near-for-nasas-voyager-probes\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saturn as captured by the Voyager program. Smith Collection\/Gado\/Getty Images Once the Voyagers\u2019 planetary journeys were over, it was possible to begin a new mission phase. After their last planetary &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=132564\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=132564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132564\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=132564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=132564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=132564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}