NASA has shut down one of the science instruments on board the iconic Voyager 1 space probe in an effort to extend the life of humanity’s first interstellar vehicle.
The decision was made as power flags on the aging spacecraft, one of a pair of spacecraft that launched nearly 49 years ago on a trailblazing mission to explore our solar system and beyond.
“While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody’s preference, it is the best option available,” Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a statement.
