A Nasa spacecraft exploring interstellar space is sending back strange data that has left engineers puzzled.
Voyager 1, launched 45 years ago, is transmitting data from interstellar space that does not match what is actually happening on board, Nasa said on Wednesday.
The craft and its twin Voyager 2 have operated far longer than anyone expected and are the only spacecraft to collect data in interstellar space — a region that is not influenced by the Sun.
“A mystery like this is sort of par for the course at this stage of the Voyager mission,” said Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyager 1 and 2 at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California.
“The spacecraft are both almost 45 years old, which is far beyond what the mission planners anticipated.
“We’re also in interstellar space — a high-radiation environment that no spacecraft have flown in before. So, there are some big challenges for the engineering team. But I think if there’s a way to solve this issue with the AACS (attitude articulation and control system), our team will find it.”
The spacecraft is operating normally, receiving and executing commands from Earth and is gathering and returning data.
However, data from the AACS, which controls the spacecraft’s orientation, does not reflect what is happening on board Voyager 1.
The AACS also keeps the spacecraft’s high-gain antenna pointed precisely at Earth, enabling it to send data home.
Nasa said that all signs suggest that the system is still working, but the telemetry data it is returning is invalid.
Voyager 1 is 23.3 billion kilometres from Earth, which means it takes about two days to send a message to Voyager 1 and get a response.
Voyager 2 is 19.5 billion km from Earth and is also operating normally.
Both spacecraft are helping shed light on the region outside of the solar system environment, and have helped search for the heliopause boundary — the point in space where interstellar space starts.
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1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
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YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
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REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
