GordonD Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 After repairs to the Deep Space Station 43 antenna in Australia, which has been offline since March, NASA sent a test signal to Voyager 2 and got a reply - 34 hours later! The probe is more than 11.6 billion miles away; it has been flying for 43 years, and it's still working! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8909935/NASA-reestablishes-contact-43-year-old-Voyager-2-11-6-BILLION-miles-Earth.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR0k-dZoDzHYSgBQPpqCSW2gzUFtQFTe-TI1R-nsQAs1WdrHIR9jWdDISfo 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 1 hour ago, GordonD said: and it's still working! Those small block Chevy engines last forever! It's quite amazing really. Where will it all end? If (big IF!) FTL ever gets developed, someone could overtake it and then meet it somewhere far away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallBlondJohn Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 3 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: Those small block Chevy engines last forever! It's quite amazing really. Where will it all end? If (big IF!) FTL ever gets developed, someone could overtake it and then meet it somewhere far away. In Elite Dangerous you can do exactly that, and its easier to find with the new FSS scanner mechanic. You will need a Sol system pass though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 5 hours ago, TallBlondJohn said: In Elite Dangerous you can do exactly that, and its easier to find with the new FSS scanner mechanic. You will need a Sol system pass though. May have to dust off the game then as I haven’t been on it for a couple of years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallBlondJohn Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 16 hours ago, Greg B said: May have to dust off the game then as I haven’t been on it for a couple of years! Neither have I to be honest, but there's a big update coming up (Odyssey) with surface walking and combat. Horizons (surface vehicles) is now free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spruecutter96 Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Whatever kind of battery Voyager II is carrying, I want some! 43 years sounds like a very, very long time for any machine to travel under its own power (I appreciate that it is being pushed along by momentum, but you know what I mean). Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 It has a radioisotope thermoelectric generator which relies on the decay of a small amount of plutonium, which generates heat that is then converted into electricity. The power plant is reckoned to fail in about 2025. This power supply was chosen as solar panels would have been ineffective so far from the sun. Amazing it still works. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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