Overview
- The team deactivated the Low-energy Charged Particles instrument Friday to head off an undervoltage shutdown and buy about a year of margin.
- The step followed a February 27 roll maneuver when power dipped unexpectedly, putting the probe near its automatic fault threshold.
- Voyager 1 now operates two instruments, a plasma wave sensor and a magnetometer, that continue measuring interstellar plasma and magnetic fields.
- NASA plans to test a coordinated low-power “Big Bang” reconfiguration on Voyager 2 in May and June, with a try on Voyager 1 no sooner than July if it works.
- Engineers left a tiny 0.5‑watt motor in the particle instrument running to keep a path to restart, as the probe’s plutonium generator loses roughly four watts each year.