NASA shuts Voyager 1 instrument to save power

Artist’s illustration of one of the Voyagers. PIC COURTESY/NASA

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California transmitted commands to switch off an instrument on Voyager 1 known as the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, or LECP.

The spacecraft, which runs on nuclear power, is steadily losing energy, and shutting down this instrument is the most effective way to extend the mission of the first human-made object to reach interstellar space.

The LECP, which measures low-energy charged particles such as ions, electrons, and cosmic rays, has operated with few interruptions since Voyager 1 launched in 1977.

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