Voyager 1 Activated a Radio It Hadn’t Used in 40 Years #NASA #SPACE #Voyager1
Image: Artist rendering of Voyager 1 from NASA via Wikipedia
I’m astonished we are still collecting data from the 47 year old planetary probe. In 2012 Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space.
Last month there was a slight panic as NASA lost contact with the craft. What happened was a heating switch triggered a failsafe causing the radio frequency to switch from x-band to s-band signal. The s-band is lower power and has not been used since 1981. As of yesterday NASA is reporting things are back to normal.
At the time, the probe had reduced power to its X-Band radio, which caused it to transmit on a different frequency. NASA was able to regain contact by sweeping the X-Band frequencies for a short while only to lose contact again on Oct. 19. This time, NASA discovered that Voyager 1 had disabled the X-Band radio entirely and switched instead to the S-Band radio, a radio that Voyager 1 hadn’t used since 1981. NASA sent a test signal to confirm that the S-Band radio was, in fact, switched on and received a response on Oct. 24.
Each box contains a Feather M4 Express, GPS, a LoRa radio for transmitting and receiving coordinates, a magnetometer, and a 16-NeoPixel ring for display purposes. This is a simple proof of concept, but with the Feather M4’s processing power and ample room for CircuitPython code, it makes for a capable and flexible platform for experimenting with navigation and simple radio communication.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Select Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: PyCon AU 2024 Talks, New Raspberry Pi Gear Available and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
