NASA's Voyager 1 Probe May Exit Solar System Next Year, page 2
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reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 11:35 AM by Illustronic
reply to post by cloudyday


During the 34 some odd year flight I don't think its urgent to worry about earth being between the sun and the Voyagers, we wont miss much. As far as the earth's orbital circumference goes 119 AUs away I don't think the data stream needs much adjustments. Even the best lasers available today may spread out to our orbital circumference in 119 AUs, and the data isn't sent on laser beams.

If I didn't have projects I need to work on I'd read into the role of the hydrazine more to find out what it's really doing, and what role it has on the life of the Voyagers. Voyagers got slingshots from each gas giant planet and one got a fifth from Pluto, totally unpowered.

Yes, I'm working on projects at home during the vacation time I need to use up before the end of the year (new policy) or lose it, which means I have to take December off but I have too many current projects due to not work also, and I have to do most everything around the house with my wife's broken foot. I have to use more time in January so I don't lose accruement of next years vaca, and frantically took off as much of November as I could. I work too much.


reply posted on 8-12-2011 @ 12:51 PM by cloudyday
reply to post by Illustronic


Here is a PDF from 2010 about Voyager with a quote. I still can't figure out why they are consuming hydrazine. Maybe it slowly drifts to the wrong attitude?


Both spacecraft have on-board consumables that are adequate to support spacecraft operation until at least 2020. Electrical power is the major consumable which limits the spacecraft lifetime. Power should be adequate to support science data acquisition until at least 2020 and possibly beyond. Both spacecraft have about 30 kg of hydrazine that provides about 50 years of operation at current usage rates.



Electrical power is supplied by three Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) that are performing nominally. The current power levels are about 275 watts, with power margins of about 30 watts and an average degradation rate of about 4.3 watts per year. As the electrical power decreases, power loads on the spacecraft will have to be turned off, reducing space-craft capabilities and operational flexibility. Power margins are adequate to operate the complement of science instruments, save the UVS, until after 2020. For power management, the UVS must be turned off in late 2010.


VIM SR10
edit on 8-12-2011 by cloudyday because: (no reason given)

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