NASA's Voyager 2 Probe Receives Life-Extending Power Boost in Deep Space.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by WIRED
NASA engineers have implemented an energy-saving strategy on Voyager 2, the longest-running spacecraft, to extend its life and collect more scientific data in interstellar space. The Voyager probes have been flying since 1977 and their power sources have been gradually fading, putting their instruments at risk. The energy-conserving gambit could buy the probes’ science mission a few extra years, but it will require sacrificing the science instruments one by one. Voyager 2 still has five instruments humming along, and turning each one of them off would buy another year of life.