Nasa powers down two instruments on twin Voyager spacecraft to save power
The energy-saving moves were necessary to extend their missions, said Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd.
Nasa is switching off two science instruments on its long-running twin Voyager spacecraft to save power.
The space agency said an instrument on Voyager 2 that measures charged particles and cosmic rays will shut off later this month.
Last week, Nasa powered down an instrument on Voyager 1 designed to study cosmic rays.
The energy-saving moves were necessary to extend their missions, said Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd at the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Voyager 1 discovered a thin ring around Jupiter and several of Saturn’s moons, and Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune.
Each spacecraft still has three instruments apiece to study the sun’s protective bubble and the swathe of space beyond.
Voyager 1 is more than 15 billion miles from Earth and Voyager 2 is more than 13 billion miles away.
