AkaSci 🛰️

The Voyager 1 spacecraft earlier today transmitted a 6.5 hour playback of data from its 8-track digital tape recorder (DTR)!

This data will arrive 22.5 hours later between 10:37 and 17:13 UTC on Thu, Nov 9 and be captured using 5 arrayed antennas at the NASA DSN Madrid site in Robledo de Chavela, Spain.

Tx rate = 1.4 kbps instead of the normal 160 bps, which requires simultaneous reception by the 5 antennas.
1.4 kbps * 6.5 hours = 4 Mbytes

https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/pdf/sfos2023pdf/23_11_09-23_11_27.sfos.pdf
@destevez
#Voyager
1/n

Nov 8, 2023 at 10:19pmWeb
Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 8, 2023

The venerable Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, each carry an 8-track reel-to-reel digital tape recorder (DTR) for storing data collected by the Plasma Wave System (PWS) built and operated by the University of Iowa.

Capacity: ~67 Mbytes
Tape width: 1/2 inch
Tape length: 328 m

The DTR on Voyager 2 is no longer used because a PWS part failed in 2007.

And after 46 years in space, the DTR and many other instruments on Voyager are still ticking!

DTR info: https://hackaday.com/2018/11/29/interstellar-8-track-the-low-tech-data-recorders-of-voyager/
#Voyager
2/n

Interstellar 8-Track: The Not-So-Low-Tech Data Recorders Of Voyager

On the outside chance that we ever encounter a space probe from an alien civilization, the degree to which the world will change cannot be overestimated. Not only will it prove that we’re not…

Hackaday
Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 8, 2023

The two Voyager spacecraft, launched on Sept 5, 1977 and Aug 20, 1977, have been traveling in space for over 46 years.

Voyager 1 is farther away from earth at 24.3 mil km (22.5 light hours), while V2 is 20.2 mil km away, located below the ecliptic. Both spacecraft are in interstellar space.

Here are the locations and some vital stats on the two Voyager spacecraft.

You can follow the real-time status of Voyager at https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/
Graphic source: https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/nasas-new-horizons-reaches-a-rare-space-milestone/

#Voyager
3/n

Voyager - Mission Status

Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 8, 2023

The power levels generated by the Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) have steadily declined by about 50% over the past 46 years. Therefore, various instruments have been shut off over the years. E.g., V1 cameras were shut off after the iconic images of the solar system and the pale blue dot were taken in 1990.

The Voyager probes will be unable to keep instruments powered on much beyond the early 2030s.

Here is the current instrument status from https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/
#Voyager
4/n

Voyager - Mission Status

Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 9, 2023

Happy Birthday to Carl Sagan, who would be 89 today.

Sagan famously wrote about the 'Pale Blue Dot' - "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives."

Voyager 1 took the image of the "Pale Blue Dot" on Feb 14, 1990, from 6 bil km away, minutes before its cameras were shut off forever.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia23645-pale-blue-dot-revisited
#palebluedot #Voyager #Sagan
5/n

Pale Blue Dot Revisited

This image shows an updated version of the iconic Pale Blue Dot image taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 9, 2023

The 5 antennas at NASA DSN Madrid are indeed all concurrently receiving data from Voyager 1 at 1.4 kbps at this moment (12:04 UTC)!

These antennas will continue in this arrayed mode until 17:13 UTC to receive the 6.5 hour playback of data from Voyager's 8-track digital tape recorder (DTR), as detailed in post #1.

https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html
#Voyager
6/n

Deep Space Network Now

The real time status of communications with our deep space explorers

Deep Space Network Now
Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 9, 2023

Carl Sagan (Happy Birthday) chaired the committee that selected the contents of the Golden Record carried by Voyager.

The record contains images, natural sounds, music and greetings in 55 languages.

Sagan wrote - The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space, but the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet.

https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/
#Sagan
7/n

Voyager - The Golden Record

Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 9, 2023

A few pics of the making of the Golden Record, carried by the Voyager spacecraft.

Jimmy Carter's message on the record - "This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours."

https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/making-of-the-golden-record/
#Voyager
8/n

Voyager - Making of the Golden Record

Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 10, 2023

True story on why the Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun" was not included.

Ann Druyan: "That was one of those cases of having to see the tragedy of our planet. Here's a chance to send a piece of music into the distant future and distant time, and to give it this kind of immortality, and they're worried about money. We got this telegram [from EMI records] saying that it will be $50K per record for 2 records, and the entire Voyager record cost $18K to produce."

https://www.vice.com/en/article/rgpj5j/the-golden-record-ann-druyan-interview
#Voyager
9/

A Space Jam, Literally: Meet the Creative Director Behind NASA's 'Golden Record,' an Interstellar Mixtape

We talked with Ann Druyen, wife of the late Carl Sagan, about curating a record for extraterrestrials.

Show threadAmin Hollon 🏳Nov 10, 2023
@AkaSci
Whoa, seriously? That's kinda stupid of them.
Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 10, 2023
@amin
Our descendants who find the Golden Record should get to know about this episode to get a full picture of humanity during our times.
Show threadBornachNov 10, 2023

@AkaSci @amin
Good of NASA to save whomever finds the Golden Record from committing a copyright violation should they ever try to play it.

Reminds me of the classic The Borg vs Microsoft joke that went viral in the early Internet before viral became a thing
https://www.diag.uniroma1.it/marte/homepage/humor/stmicro.html

The Borg vs. Microsoft

Show threadNazaniNov 10, 2023
@AkaSci Aliens would probably been confused by the human solipsism of saying the center of a solar system was "coming" or "rising."
Show threadBornachNov 10, 2023

@Nazani @AkaSci
Aliens might interpret the entire Golden Record as a declaration of war, send their armada of mighty ships across the empty wastes of space to destroy the Earth but due to a terrible miscalculation of scale the entire battle fleet end up being accidentally swallowed by a small dog.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/5942504-the-mighty-ships-tore-across-the-empty-wastes-of-space

A quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

the mighty ships tore across the empty wastes of space and finally dived screaming on to the first planet they came across - which happened to be the Ear...

Show thread@ NovaNaturalist HAS ALSO MOVEDNov 10, 2023

@bornach @Nazani @AkaSci

I seem to be having this tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle.

Show threadHigh Mome Djecibel AesterNov 10, 2023
@AkaSci as an attorney I would have strongly advised them to pirate the song. Let EMI come for them in Court. I foresee evidentiary challenges for the plaintiff corporation.
Show threadBarry GoldmanNov 10, 2023
@AkaSci EMI? WTF. stoopid too.
Show thread"Mediocre Bunny" EvelynNov 10, 2023
@AkaSci 🤣 😂 🤔 😩 😭
Show threadvNov 12, 2023
@AkaSci
Show threadantipode77Nov 11, 2023

@AkaSci

A humbling thought.

We are sooo lucky to have this place.
We should be very careful how we handle this.

The time of going out and grabbing everything in sight without a thought for the consequences of doing this are over.

There are just too many humans.

Show threadgabertNov 9, 2023
@AkaSci
I also like to think that after 46 years the spacecrafts are a little over 22 light hours away. When will new horizon overtake their lead?
Show threadBarry GoldmanNov 8, 2023
@AkaSci no plasma wave detectoer on v2? wuts it still observig with? anything?
Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 8, 2023
@barrygoldman1
Please take a look at post #4 for some info on the status of various instruments.
Show threadPeter GleickNov 9, 2023
@AkaSci @destevez
I'm sorry but are you saying Voyager 1 has a WORKING 8 TRACK DIGITAL TAPE RECORDER????
Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Nov 9, 2023
@petergleick Why is that so hard to believe? Aren't all our gadgets, including tape recorders 📼, from the 70s still working here on earth? 😜
(With zero repair or maintenance, of course).
https://hackaday.com/2018/11/29/interstellar-8-track-the-low-tech-data-recorders-of-voyager/
Interstellar 8-Track: The Not-So-Low-Tech Data Recorders Of Voyager

On the outside chance that we ever encounter a space probe from an alien civilization, the degree to which the world will change cannot be overestimated. Not only will it prove that we’re not…

Hackaday
Show threadFelix 🇨🇦 🇩🇪 🇺🇦Nov 9, 2023
@AkaSci @destevez The #voyager probes are such remarkable pieces of engineering. The fact that they are still working like clockworks far out there after 46 years is just incredible.
Show threadSearingTruthNov 10, 2023

@AkaSci @destevez

"Critical Focus

Fortunately, there is a curious and wonderful fact about humanity.

Whenever we come together to focus on and solve some seemingly insurmountable problem, we are successful.

From initially learning to navigate vast oceans, to understanding and curing disease, to placing humans on the moon and exploring the solar system beyond, our species record of technical achievement is truly stunning.

In fact, history clearly records that our progress as a species is not impeded by our inability to solve critical problems; it is instead impeded by our inability to recognize and focus on them.

We have survived thus far not by elegant planning, but simply because of our once isolated population groups, the relatively low level of past technologies, and sheer dumb luck.

However, time has turned, and we cannot go back. Populations have become almost completely integrated, our technology has progressed to fantastic and globally lethal levels, and sooner or later our sheer dumb luck will run out.

Without direction, without a plan, without common goals and purpose, our species, and our world, will fail.

All our history, all our dreams, all our knowledge, our anguish, our joy, our victories, our defeats, all of our passion, everything that was human, gone forever. As if it had never existed in time at all.

Could anyone, no matter what their nationality or beliefs, want their children or grandchildren to live their last anguished moments of life in this failed world? A world now beset by an inescapable catastrophe that could easily have been avoided if their ancestors had exercised just a little foresight and vision?

I think not."
SearingTruth, A Future of the Brave, 2005