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KF5JRV > TECHNI 10.07.19 13:21l 10 Lines 1323 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 10330_KF5JRV
Read: GAST
Subj: Voyager
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KF5JRV
Sent: 190710/1151Z 10330@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.18
The vacuum of space just got a little bit colder. NASA just switched offthe heater on Voyager 2, one of the two probes currently exploring theouter reaches of the solar system, in an attempt to conserve itsdwindling power supply.
Over the four decades since the Voyager space probes launched, theirnuclear batteries have become less and less efficient, according toSpace.com, with Voyager 2 generating about 60 percent of the power itcould when it launched. The decision to power down the heater to supportother instruments shows how the space agency has to think strategicallyabout how to keep the probes running for as long as possible.
Of the 20 scientific instruments on the two space probes, nine are stillfunctional, Space.com reports. Without the heater, the other instrumentswill be subjected to temperatures as low as minus 74 degrees Fahrenheit(minus 59 Celsius), per Space.com, which is lower than the temperaturesat which NASA tested them.
“The long lifetimes of the spacecraft mean we’re dealing with scenarioswe never thought we’d encounter,ö Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project managerat NASA, said in a press release. “We will continue to explore everyoption we have in order to keep the Voyagers doing the best sciencepossible.ö
73, Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV @ KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email: KF5JRV@GMAIL.com
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