NASA announced on Monday that the Voyager 1 probe, the farthest human-made object from Earth, has sent readable data for the first time in five months. NASA indicated that the probe, which is approximately 24 billion kilometers away from Earth, had not been sending reliable scientific and technical data about its status since November. However, the agency's teams were still able to send commands to it, and the probe, launched over 46 years ago, continued to operate normally.
The problem was traced back to a chip in a computer aboard the probe that is responsible for coordinating scientific and technical data before it is transmitted back to Earth. NASA recently found an innovative solution for transmitting the necessary code. The agency was able to verify the spacecraft's proper functioning for the first time since November and will continue to use the same solution to extract scientific data.
Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2 are the only two spacecraft traveling through interstellar space, carrying recordings of Earth's sounds and images on gold and copper discs.
