Liz Neeley: Just incredible news on reviving Voyager I. Think of it: a computer chip 15 billion(!) miles away is broken. The solution is to repackage & move key software, w/ code sent via radio signal that takes 22+ hrs to reach that little 46yr old machine. AND IT IS WORKING. blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024...

Just incredible news on reviving Voyager I. Think of it: a computer chip 15 billion(!) miles away is broken. The solution is to repackage & move key software, w/ code sent via radio signal that takes 22+ hrs to reach that little 46yr old machine. AND IT IS WORKING. blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024...

NASA’s Voyager 1 Resumes Sending Engineering Updates to Earth – Voyagerblogs.nasa.gov

I am not a space person, but I just cannot get over this. Truly mindboggling.

It's the ultimate "they don't build 'em like they used to" flex. I don't understand how that little computer can try so damn hard.

I don't consider myself a space person either, but I am a hardware engineer and even on earth in a lab this sort of thing is absolutely impressive to me. Across 15 billion miles of space? Absolutely astounding!!!

Then there's LinkedIn. 🤔

We're all space people - literally everything is in space! 😉

Perspective check.

This is amazing - science fiction becomes reality 🖖 !

Next step: does anyone have the map for accessing the codes in Trump's decaying brain circuitry or must we confer with Musk?

well can one of them make my Chromecast work again?!?!! it's under 15 feet away!

try hitting it

I turned it off. AND back on again!! what more can one man do?

hit it

and swear at it loudly

yes. swearing helps. it puts the fear of the brave little toaster into em

Percussive maintenance is the way

Seconded. Can't beat the diagnostic hammer, followed by buying a new one.

In the trade we call that "percussive maintenance".

"If in doubt, kick it", the #1 tried and true IT maintenance technique since circa 1972.

We're lucky Google didn't build Voyager.

Or Teslahahahahahaha!

Let's hope AI doesn't make it out there. The transmissions may become a little...odd.

If humanity ever disappears, I hope some other intelligence finds these messengers and understands that they are the song of our existence to the cosmos.

I hope they find out Drew Carey was blitzed out of his mind at a Phish Concert

NASA is amazing. I know firsthand, my father was a first generation nasa engineer. When they worried about where Skylab would land, my dad said they think they know how much fuel is left, and when it entered the atmosphere, they would flip it so they could predict a safe landing. He was right.

And that chip is likely older than most of the people reading about it

I mean didn't NASA bring Apollo 13 back to Earth with popsicle sticks and dental floss?

And slide rules. And duct tape.

Circuit board on Voyage 1 Very different than our modern day boards.

I doubt that NASA would have used sockected ICs.

yeah thats... not a NASA-grade board by a mile

Yup. Not to mention all the ICs would've been exotic radiation-hardened variants.

An actual Voyager circuit board. Source: National Air and Space Museum airandspace.si.edu/collection-m...

It's a work of art made to endure.

that *is* a modern day board. nothing like what voyager used. why do you lie?

Oh wow, I used to micro-solder those babies back in the day. For pacemakers.

My grandson is totally into SpaceX but I keep telling him NASA is better in so many ways! It’s not the technology, it’s the heart.

Tell him it's like comparing arrogance to perserverance

NASA has better tech anaw

That’s one hell of a pull request. Every contributor needs to print that one out and put it on their wall.

I know it's silly, but I wish they could do this with the Philae lander. I grew quite fond of that little guy/gal.

Outstanding.

Oh man. We control shoot a problem that far away and that old but we can’t deal with real and present. Shit here weird.

Should put the people in charge of nasa into office.

We downsized NASA and can’t even build or launch our own rockets. Would need to vet them.

And now they’re trying to defund Chandra. It has 10 years of life left. Ask your Legislators to fund it.

it's important to leave more money for space geniuses like Mr Elon Musk, sir.

Well that’s because the people in charge of this are actually interested in solving problems.

Wot-dee-boop?

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