NASA’s Voyager 1 probe, the furthest spacecraft from Earth, called Earth with a transmitter that had not been used since 1981. The radio device was successfully activated after the probe stopped responding to the last command sent from the Deep Space Network antennas on October 16th. Launched on September 5, 1977, the Voyager 1 probe was sent to study Saturn closely and then continued its long journey towards the edge of the Solar System, which it crossed in 2012. Now Voyager 1 is about 165 times Earth-Sun distance and is the most distant probe ever sent by man.
For years and for almost half a century it has incredibly continued to function and send extremely precious data relating to interstellar space. But the probe obviously has some problems due to its age, the latest of which emerged a few days ago after the sending of new commands sent from Earth on October 16th. Given the distance, the signals take about 23 hours to reach the probe and another 23 hours to receive a response, but the last call, with the command to turn on some heating devices, had not produced the expected response.
Due to some as yet unidentified problem on board, the command would have activated the emergency mode, with the consequent shutdown of various electronic systems including the X-band communication ones. The probe had, however, activated an emergency communications system, on the S band: a less efficient system that had not been used for 41 years. However, the device worked correctly and allowed, on October 24, to send new commands and restore the connections of the probe which will thus be able to continue its epic journey out of the Solar System.