"Voyager 2 receives and executes first command in 11 months..."

[krispos42]

Voyager 2 receives and executes first command in 11 months as sole antenna that reaches it returns to work
Resets clock to avoid going into safe mode
Simon Sharwood, APAC Editor Mon 15 Feb 2021 // 00:58 UTC

A signal from venerable space probe Voyager 2 reached Earth today, acknowledging that the spacecraft has received its first command since March 2020 and had reset internal clocks as instructed.

Voyager 2 has sent data home since that date, but the ability to send commands to the probe was temporarily offline due to a refresh of DSS 43, the antenna outside Canberra that – thanks to its Southern Hemisphere location, size, and power – is the only facility in the world that can reach the spacecraft.

{snip}

NASA plans to shut down more instruments to keep the Voyagers online for as long as possible, but the probes look likely to lose touch with Earth in around 2032.

By then, they’ll be 55 years old - half a century longer than the duration of their planned mission. And an even mightier symbol of human ingenuity and curiosity than they are today.

https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/15/voyager_2_executes_commands_again/

I was an infant when Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched. Astonishing they are still going. Astonishing. It's a 35-hour (!) round trip for the radio signals!

[AllaN01Bear]

1. vegr needs the information.

i have the mission patch for that . . man they built those to last .

[jimlup]

2. Absolutely fantastic!

That we are still receiving data is awesome and i'm sure it is well beyond any of the expected original design parameters.

[central scrutinizer]

3. Think how diffuse the signal is when it reaches Voyager

Over that vast distance. The engineers 55 years ago were some bad asses to design and build something that sensitive. Dayum!

[krispos42]

4. Forget that!

Voyager 2 is still sending us data! And it's only running on a couple of hundred watts of power!

Imagine how weak the signal is when it reaches us!!!

[central scrutinizer]

5. We've had 55 years to improve

Our technology on this end. But, yes, on both ends it’s nothing short of amazing. My daughter and her husband are both engineers (civil). I remember looking at her trig-substitution integral calculus homework (I’m a math instructor) and asking her, “how did you get from here to here?” “I did it in my head.” Of course, she was correct. My weak response: “just in case you make a mistake, it’s good to leave a trail your instructor can follow.” “Whatever, Dad.”

[electric_blue68]

6. Having Voyager 2 still workin is just amazing and...

that we still have about 11 yrs of contact to go - however long the loop of send/receive is. 👍