What was the Voyager propulsion system?

Voyager 1 was constructed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It has 16 hydrazine thrusters, three-axis stabilization gyroscopes, and referencing instruments to keep the probe’s radio antenna pointed toward Earth.

How is Voyager 1 still powered?

(Voyager 1 is powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, or RTG. RTGs convert to electricity the heat generated by the radioactive decay of plutonium-238.)

How does Voyager 2 still have fuel?

Voyager’s power supply comes from a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), which turns heat from the decay of a radioactive material into electricity to power the spacecraft. Due to the natural decay of the material inside the RTG, Voyager 2’s power budget goes down by about 4 watts per year.

How long will Voyager 2 have power?

Voyager 2 is expected to keep its current suite of science instruments on through 2020. The radioisotope thermoelectric generator on each spacecraft puts out 4 watts less each year. Because of this diminishing electrical power, the Voyager team has had to prioritize which instruments to keep on and which to turn off.

What was the purpose of Voyager 1 and 2?

Voyager 1 and 2 were designed to take advantage of a rare planetary alignment to study the outer solar system up close. Voyager 2 targeted Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Like its sister spacecraft, Voyager 2 also was designed to find and study the edge of our solar system.

What did Voyager 1 and 2 discover?

Planetary Tour Between them, Voyager 1 and 2 explored all the giant planets of our outer solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; 48 of their moons; and the unique system of rings and magnetic fields those planets possess.

Are Voyager 1 and 2 still working?

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are still functioning today, making them the longest-running and most-distant space mission in history. Though they are each taking different paths, both spacecraft are still screaming their way out of the solar system.

What propulsion system does Voyager use to propel itself?

Voyager I and II have the conventional hydrazine thrusters to maintain orientation. But these are not used to accelerate the spacecrafts. In fact Voyager does not have any propulsion system to propel itself.

What happened to Voyager 1 and Voyager 2?

Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have reached “Interstellar space” and each continue their unique journey through the Universe. In the NASA Eyes on the Solar System app, you can see the real spacecraft trajectories of the Voyagers, which are updated every five minutes.

What kind of thrusters does Voyager have?

Voyager I and II have the conventional hydrazine thrusters to maintain orientation. But these are not used to accelerate the spacecrafts. In fact Voyager does not have any propulsion system to propel itself. Voyager was launched atop a powerful Titan III rocket.

How does Voyager 1’s distance from the Sun change?

Note: Because Earth moves around the sun faster than Voyager 1 is speeding away from the inner solar system, the distance between Earth and the spacecraft actually decreases at certain times of year. This is a real-time indicator of Voyagers’ straight-line distance from the sun in astronomical units (AU) and either miles (mi) or kilometers (km).