NASA will extend the life of the Voyager 2 probe so that it stays in space for another three years – El Sol de México

space ship voyager 2, thrown by a pot She began using a small reserve of spare power saved as part of a safety mechanism on board. And the US space agency stated that the procedure would allow the mission to postpone the closure of the aforementioned scientific device until 2026, instead of this year.

“if it was Voyager 2 He remains healthy, the engineering team expects The mission could continue for years to comeNASA added in a statement.

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the Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1These are the probes that help scientists understand the shape of the heliosphere and how it works to protect the Earth. Linda Spilker, NASA Jet Propulsion Voyager project scientist, explained that the information they’re sending back is so important that it’s critical that Stay in space maximum possible time.

The space agency has detailed on various occasions that The sun and planets reside in the heliosphere, a protective bubble caused by the sun’s magnetic field and the outward flow of the solar wind. With these ships launched, The researchers are analyzing data from Voyagers with data from the new missions to get a more complete picture of the Sun How does the heliosphere interact with interstellar space?

“This is the first time we’ve been able to study how a star and our sun interact directly with particles and magnetic fields outside the heliosphere, helping scientists understand the local interstellar neighborhood, changing some theories about this region and providing key information for future missions,” Spilker details.

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the Voyager mission It’s only set to last four years, when it was launched into space in 1977 for travel thereafter Saturn and JupiterLater, the task was expanded Voyager 2 visiting Neptune and UranusAfter successful missions, it was extended again to travel outside the heliosphere. Voyager 1 It reached its limit in 2012, instead Voyager 2 He reached it in 2018.