How do the Voyager probes work?

They rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) for their energy. Each of the Voyager probes has three RTGs, and they use plutonium 238 for their fuel source. As that isotope decays, it produces heat which is converted to electrical energy.

Does Voyager 1 have a computer?

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have identical computer systems. The Computer Command System (CCS), the central controller of the spacecraft, is two 18-bit word, interrupt type processors with 4096 words each of non-volatile plated wire memory.

How long does it take a message from Voyager 1 to reach Earth?

The spacecraft collect information about their surrounding environment in real time and then send it back through radio signals. Voyager 1 data takes about 19 hours to reach Earth, and signals from Voyager 2 about 16 hours. (For comparison, it takes the rovers on Mars 20 minutes on average to call home.)

What information does Voyager send back?

The Voyager spacecraft revealed the enormous amount of detail in the rings of Saturn, discovered the rings of Jupiter and provided the first detailed images of the rings of Uranus and Neptune. Voyager imaged Earth’s moon and discovered twenty-three new moons at the outer planets.

Which microprocessor was used in NASA’s Voyager and Viking space probes?

The lander computers, the Guidance, Control and Sequencing Computer, used two Honeywell HDC 402 microprocessors. (A common myth is that the Viking used an RCA 1802, this is incorrect). The Voyager 1 and its sister craft Voyager 2 were launched on September 5 and August 20 of 1977 and are still operating to date (2014).

How big are the Voyager probes?

Spacecraft and Subsystems. Each Voyager consisted of a decahedral bus, 47 cm in height and 1.78 m across from flat to flat. A 3.66 m diameter parabolic high-gain antenna was mounted on top of the bus.