NASA sacrifices plasma instrument at 12 billion miles to let Voyager 2 live longer

undefined 8, 2024

Source: interestingengineering

Forty-seven years ago, Voyager 2 began its mission, traveling over 12.8 billion miles. Now, as its power dwindles, NASA has deactivated its Plasma Spectrometer (PLS), which studied charged particles in the solar system and beyond. The PLS played a key role in determining when Voyager 2 crossed into interstellar space. Despite the shutdown, Voyager 2’s journey continues, with four instruments still operational to explore space beyond the Sun’s influence, expected to last into the 2030s.

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