Nasa is back in full contact with its lost Voyager 2 probe months earlier than expected, the space agency said.
A signal was picked up on Tuesday but thanks to an “interstellar shout” - a powerful instruction - its antenna is now back facing Earth.
Staff used the “highest-power transmitter” to send a message to the spacecraft and timed it to be sent during “the best conditions” so the antenna lined up with the command, Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd told AFP.
After communications were lost, the probe had been unable to receive commands or send back data to Nasa’s Deep Space Network - an array of giant radio antennas across the world.
On Monday, the space agency said its huge dish in Australia’s capital, Canberra, was trying to detect any stray signals from Voyager 2.
The probes were designed to take advantage of a rare alignment of outer planets, which occurs about every 176 years, to explore Jupiter and Saturn.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Nasa is back in full contact with its lost Voyager 2 probe months earlier than expected, the space agency said.
A signal was picked up on Tuesday but thanks to an “interstellar shout” - a powerful instruction - its antenna is now back facing Earth.
Staff used the “highest-power transmitter” to send a message to the spacecraft and timed it to be sent during “the best conditions” so the antenna lined up with the command, Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd told AFP.
After communications were lost, the probe had been unable to receive commands or send back data to Nasa’s Deep Space Network - an array of giant radio antennas across the world.
On Monday, the space agency said its huge dish in Australia’s capital, Canberra, was trying to detect any stray signals from Voyager 2.
The probes were designed to take advantage of a rare alignment of outer planets, which occurs about every 176 years, to explore Jupiter and Saturn.
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