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Voyager 2: Nasa loses contact with record-breaking probe after sending wrong command

Voyager 2: Nasa picks up 'heartbeat' signal after sending wrong command

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-66371569

A signal sent in error left Voyager 2's antenna tilting the wrong way, severing contact with Earth.

Voyager 2: Nasa picks up 'heartbeat' signal after sending wrong command

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/949139

Archived version: https://archive.ph/KYcey
Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20230802051152/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66371569

4 comments

EvilColeslaw

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Looks as though they've started receiving limited signals -- a "heartbeat" from the probe. And even if full communications aren't re-established in the immediate term, it seems Voyager 2 automatically repositions its antenna towards Earth every few months -- next one due is in October. Pretty slick for such an old probe.

FigMcLargeHuge

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A little disappointed in BBC with the clickbait title there... All is not lost as the headline implies, per the article:

While fuller communication is not yet established, Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its orientation multiple times each year to keep its antenna pointing at Earth. The next reset is due on 15 October, which Nasa says "should enable communication to resume".

Frustrating that they make it sound like this is a big deal.

BrikoX

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They did update the title later to "Voyager 2: Nasa picks up 'heartbeat' signal after sending wrong command", I'm using original title they used when publishing the article.

FigMcLargeHuge

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It's pretty frustrating that the news lately just goes out of their way to make things look bleak. Like that CNN story about Saturn's rings "disappearing". They mentioned that "future astronomers might not get the chance to view Saturn's rings." and went on about how they were disappearing. At the very end of the article was the estimate of the timeline, and it was 100 million years. Give me a fucking break. These fucking news outlets with their clickbait bullshit titles just irritates me. I get you were just posting what was there. My frustration is just at the news outlets themselves.