15bn miles from Earth — now power-saving may propel Voyagers to the 2030s – The Times
For nearly half a century they have been humankind’s most intrepid emissaries, pushing ever deeper into the cosmic unknown. Now, in an effort to keep the lights on for a little longer, Nasa is shutting down scientific instruments aboard its two venerable Voyager spacecraft.The twin probes, launched in 1977, have spent the past 47 years travelling away from Earth, first making a grand tour of the outer planets before sailing beyond the influence of our sun into interstellar space. But time and physics are unrelenting: their power sources — radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which convert the heat from a decaying pellet of plutonium into electricity — are running low.To extend the crafts’ operational lives, engineers at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) just north© Times Media Limited 2025.Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF.
