The Only Reason the Voyager Probes are Still Working Today

[@therickson100]

An item not mentioned: The reason the probes can still be heard is that there have been huge advances in the receivers used for communication. A very important part of this amazing journey has been work done here on Earth to improve the equipment used to communicate with the space probes.

[@davidevans3227]

i was listening to a Prof Brian Cox radio program about a huge dish in Australia that listens for voyager.. seventy meters wide i think they said.. they mentioned the faintness of the signal coming back to earth.. i wish i could remember the number.. (the fraction of a watt that's being used) it's ridiculous.. other scientists in the audience gasped when he said the number..

[@jamesnoord6295]

whats your answer for all the failed satellites since then?

[@chadwells7562]

@@jamesnoord6295One has nothing to do with the other. Dumb question.

[@HongyaMa]

Diversity hires of today morons with masters@@jamesnoord6295

[@nuanil]

@@jamesnoord6295 printed circuit boards versus 14 gauge wiring...

[@RetroGamerr1991]

The fact that Voyager outlived every congressman that approved funding for the voyager mission is a testament to how well these things were designed.

[@johndododoe1411]

Are you sure? Those bastards tend to be very long lived .

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

​​@@johndododoe1411: As old as Mitch McConnell and Bernie Sanders are, I don't think that either of them were voted into their first terms before the Bicentennial year of 1976 (the debates over approving the missions and their funding date back to the early '70s -- while the Vietnam War, Watergate investigations, and the final Apollo Moon missions were going on). To my knowledge, those two are the current oldest, and longest continuously-serving, members of either chamber of Congress. Previous octogenarian and nonogenarian (sp?) Senators/Representatives, who definitely were in office during that era, Tip O'Neil, Jesse Helms, and Strom Thurmond (sp?), are now long-dead.

[@brick6347]

@@shruggzdastr8-facedclown Joe Biden was elected senator for Delaware in 1973... almost old enough! Missed the debates by a year!

[@lemmingsoup852]

Chuck Grassley started as US representative from Iowa in 1975 at age 41 he is still serving as Iowa senator at age 90. Just 48 years 326 days as of 11/25/2023. Was re-elected in 2022. Will be serving for a while longer, but probably won't reached Byrd's tenure record. Probably the longest serving congressmen still in power to having been around during some of the funding bills of the 1970's.

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

@@lemmingsoup852: Is Byrd still alive and actively serving in Congress?

[@kirstenb7105]

My grandfather worked at JPL and on the Voyager project. I recall receiving photos before they were released to the public (still have some of them). His part was with the antennae sending receiving of radio waves (not sure if it was the earth or voyager side). Some of that technology is what makes cell phone communication possible. It's so wonderful to see that the voyagers continue.

[@deepaksanaka]

is he still around?

[@debbiesimmons3081]

My dad built the Voyagers. He died early 2010 so he missed seeing all the excitement about them leaving the solar system . He built lots of space faring vehicles as well as many other important technologies. Most people in the world would have used something that he developed.

[@Ordlnary_Gamer]

Voyager 1 left in 2012…..

[@debbiesimmons3081]

@@Ordlnary_Gamer Sorry typo. He died in 2010.

[@debbiesimmons3081]

The space shuttles were obviously built by Americans because they fell apart every time they were used unlike the space craft that were built by Australians.@@Gateway10

[@Hupamaster]

@@Gateway10 Ahh, the classic -my dad is better than your dad😂

[@johngrey5806]

I thought the voyagers were built by many people as a team effort, not by just one guy. Aren't you stealing their glory by claiming it was done by your dad?

[@dimbulb23]

At 12 I saw Sputnik 2 tumble and flash across the sky. At 19, I serviced supersonic fighter avionics, at 23 started working for IBM installing, troubleshooting and fixing computers in the era of core memory and punch cards. In '75 it was OS code troubleshooting, in '85 I was writing OS code for PCs. And now, long retired, my FitBit has more computing power than flew on any Apollo mission. What a trip, it has been. My paternal grandparents were born before the American Civl War began, they lived on a farm without electricity or plumbing, she died in 1904 and never rode in a car. My grandfather, i met when I was 2. He could read, my father born in 1895. He never learned to read and worked in coal mines in the era before dynamite, black powder when the miners work headlamps with open an flame and mules were used to pull coal from the mine. And I'm going to build a couple of PCs this year but I seriously thinking of just buying them. What crazy, wonderful era in which to live.

[@scotthabshi843]

Good for you

[@clarkpj1]

My paternal grandfather was born in 1860. In 1977 I was working at the Ascension Island NASA tracking station. JPL Voyager controllers asked us to attempt to send a command to one of the Voyagers (I can't remember which one!) as we tracked it only 25 minutes after launch. We tried but failed to capture the transponder due to its incredibly narrow bandwidth and the excessive dopler during the launch phase. Coincidentally, I have worked at JHU Applied Physics Lab for the last 42 years. I worked on many deep space projects along with numerous LEO and DoD missions. Oh, and I saw Pioneer 11 launch from the Cape when I was there working paving driveways and parking lots.

[@randyross5630]

At 12 I Killed my First Man! You are a Wuss!

[@rupe53]

I am reminded of things may late father said along these lines.... Born in 1917, before most people had electricity or indoor plumbing, and got to see a man on the moon before he retired. He lived another 35 years after we got to the moon and was still amazed at things like color TV, long distance direct dial phones, automatic transmissions, and central heat. Yeah, some of that was fairly common, but so many simple things we just take for granted!

[@donrobertson4940]

You know, the future isn't what it used to be.

[@stevendimmock4791]

For me the saddest thing is that I have been following the Voyagers most of my life, ( I'm nearly 64 years old) and if all goes well, I probably won't see the end of their travels. But what an amazing journey to go so far and still be in touch with us. You really can say 'Wow!!'

[@PointyTailofSatan]

You should have mentioned the RAM. 48k of plated wire memory, a technology that was already 15 years obsolete when Voyager was launched. On the good side though, the memory junctions are so huge, compared to modern TTL based memory, that the plated wire memory is almost indestructible, and immune to damage or data corruption from cosmic radiation.

[@oakstrong1]

That's what I have believed for years: the components, especially processors being such an old technology is actually an advantage in space.

[@Basil_Ieaf]

​@@oakstrong1 You're right. The old tech had time to become truly reliable (if we launched a modern phone chip instead, it wouldn't be reliable enough. That's how reliable it needs to be). Old tech had time to truly mature and be built for harsh conditions like space.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

@@Basil_Ieaf Modern satellites also use hardened chips that are built on larger manufacturing nodes and encased in (for example) lead casings to shield from radiation. This works just fine. The reason modern satellites dont last as long is that they are planned to enter the orbit of a planet after their mission is complete to destruct them so they dont get in the way of future missions circling around the sun in a random orbit and needing to be tracked constantly. This was originally planned for Voyager as well, but among others, Carl Sagan, convinced NASA to send them out of the solar system instead.

[@toddfraser3353]

However the question would be what would the tradeoff of extra shielding vs the exponentially more processing power with less energy. If you are replacing a 15Kg computer with 5kg of shielding with a .5Kg computer with 10kg of shielding, plus get about 30 million times better computing. That may be a good bargain.

[@DrSamba1]

Very true. I worked on spacecraft electronics in the late 1980s. While we were using the i386 and i486 on Earth, we were putting bit-slice processors in spacecraft computers, mainly because of radiation hardness. We also had to add error correcting circuitry to fix memory bit errors caused by alpha particle hits.

[@deborahchesser7375]

In my opinion, the Voyager program was the most ambitious and well executed effort we ever made for space exploration. And after all, they are still functioning almost 47 years later, absolutely amazing !

[@himbourbanist]

that and the Spirit / Opportunity Mars rovers - incredible engineering

[@angelainamarie9656]

The fortune of that opportunity arising right when rocket science was reaching the level of capability to take advantage of it is awesome.

[@KuK137]

Nope, that was Sputnik 1 and Gagarin's flight, proving it's possible after all. Or maybe Luna/Venera missions who broke all 'firsts'. But nice attempt at stealing credit from 2nd best spot...

[@Colorado_Native]

@@KuK137 He only went up about 190 miles and that flight only lasted about an hour and a half. Just far enough to clearly say he had been into space and to beat the Americans for bragging rights. He orbited earth once. Sadly he was later killed along with the pilot iin a Mig-15.

[@paulwalsh2344]

Totlly agree ! My favorite space exploration endeavor for sure !

[@joep3279]

Meanwhile, my refrigerator's broken again.

[@entangledmindcells9359]

ditto

[@ahmedmohamedzaki2062]

😂😂

[@basilsutube]

Send it to space

[@LuckyGuy-hv3ci]

Hahaha good one.

[@johnwilson8309]

Your AI Wi-Fi frig is broken

[@Yaivenov]

That the memory deck still works is probably the most amazing mechanical aspect of the Voyagers.

[@andrewreynolds912]

fun fact magnetic tape is making a comeback on data storage as you can store data for many decades and plus not only that analog computers are also gonna come back due to way lower energy use and much better processing power not only that analog and magnetic tape in space are more robust and are more better able to withstand radiation which is why we see the computers in Alien make sense for many decades of long use in space travel.

[@lancerevell5979]

Magnetic tape does degrade with time. I worked at my state IT department to recover data from old magnetic tape cartridges, and older tape reels. That the Voyagers' tape systems are still working after 40+ years of deep space cold and radiation. is nothing short of miraculous.

[@aserta]

@@lancerevell5979 The tape itself doesn't degrade as much as you think, it's the read write process occurring on degrading machines and different types of machines. If the tape system is in the same machine, and the machine is kept within the proper specs, it lasts a long time. Hence why this did. Same machine, no gravity = no observable degradation, simple system.

[@sjsomething4936]

@@aserta I’m not certain but I suspect that the lack of contact with oxygen is also helpful as it probably is another factor in the degradation of tapes planetside. However, the amount of time these probes and their various subsystems have been functioning is truly astounding.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

The longevity of the tape decks amazes me as well.

[@Mlogan11]

Hats off to the scientists and engineers that helped create these amazing machines.

[@maly2ts408]

Perhaps n hind sight nasa should have launched a relay satellite several years back that could have had better batteries & a more advanced power supply. Too late now but perhaps worth considering for future missions

[@wmffmw]

I worked at JPL on Curiosity. Everything was way over Engineered and based on common sense. Now we use computer models... not necessarily an improvement. It is an Engineering Attitude.

[@MoiraWillenov]

@@wmffmw lol. There is no such thing as over engineering.

[@PowderedToastMan477]

An ABSOLUTE MARVEL of engineering. Like building a car that goes for a 1 mil miles without a single service.

[@adearthical]

...and technicians.

[@nzriot]

The story of these old Voyager probes has been inspirational to all other space exploration... because of how it doesn't take very much technology to go REALLY far.

[@hidel308]

Many don’t know that at the last minute they realized that they needed radiation shielding for the instruments. It was feared that Jupiter’s radiation would cause systems to fail. So the engineers hit up every local supermarket and bought up all the aluminum foil they could get. They cleaned and prepped it, then installed it. So, the Voyagers are cruising the cosmos with grocery store shielding. 😊

[@nkirukalazz-onyenobi36]

😮

[@yestfmf]

Gamma and xray can be stopped by aluminum? I thought that required lead. That story sounds dubious.

[@carlosdgutierrez6570]

​@@yestfmfwhile I doubt the tale is true, the radiation in Jupiter's Van Hallen belts aren't gamma rays but charged particles, relativistic protons, electrons and their antimatter cousins, the best shielding for those would be a conductive material like aluminium, just not grocery store foil.

[@schwingedeshaehers]

​@@carlosdgutierrez6570it should work if you use multiple layers of aluminum

[@michaeldautel7568]

@@carlosdgutierrez6570they did use tinfoil from when you Actually received TINFOIL.😂😅😂 1960's memory of the good old days😉

[@SeaWolfEntertainment]

My uncle was just two years out of college when he went to work for JPL. Has his degree in metallurgy with a minor in computer science. Voyager 1 was already in space when my uncle was asked to join the team to troubleshoot some problems (I don’t know exactly what problems he was troubleshooting). My uncle worked as a metallurgist for 45 years at JPL and has worked on every unmanned space probe that JPL has sent to space. Fun fact the first voyager launched was given the name voyager 2 while the second voyager was given the name voyager 1. Reason: the math hippies did there math and said that the second voyager launched aka voyager 1 would be traveling faster and would be the first man made object to go interstellar.

[@herzogsbuick]

until watching this video i hadn't realized that voyager 2 went up first, so i asked chatgpt why and it spat out that voyager 1 would get to jupiter first. but it's chatgpt so, ya know, i trust you more heh

[@johndododoe1411]

So he even worked on Viking, Pioneer and Surveyor?

[@amazinggrace5692]

Yeah baby, boomers know math! Groovy.

[@caty863]

why does everyone feel the need to brag about others' achievements? what do you get from that? Look, here comes my bragging: my great great great... grand mother was called Lucy; she is the mother of all humanity. Isn't that impressive?

[@SeaWolfEntertainment]

Why can’t I be proud of my uncle and the achievements he has achieved? He’s someone I lookup to and has accomplished more things in his life and career than most people ever will. By the time he was 32 years old he became the lead of about 30 people working on the most advanced space exploration vehicles. So yea I’m extremely proud of my uncle for what he’s been able to accomplish. I turn 32 in 21 days and wish I could accomplish a fraction of what he has by 32.

[@jerrybeirnemusic]

My uncle (dad's brother) was in charge of the accounting on the project that created the nuclear power supplies, and I work in the same building today. I have the award poster he got for his efforts, and it hung in my cube for years. Talk about a cool project!

[@dingdongbells3314]

The simplicity of the voyager probes, while frustrating for how little data it can return to us from the farthest fringes of the solar system, is likely the only thing that kept it alive this long... fewer points of failure

[@randyross5630]

More like it's a Neutron Bomb headed for Planet X using UFO Crash Retrieval Technology!

[@user2C47]

​@@randyross5630Not possible. It's already well past any Planet X, and if it had alien technology, then why is the radio broken in a way that would only happen with pre-1980s technology?

[@donrobertson4940]

Not really. eg. Digital tape recorder has a lot of things that could fail compared to solid state memory chip.

[@maly2ts408]

I agree the simpler the better

[@georgemen]

@@randyross5630go take your meds

[@supergeek0177]

As someone who enjoys maintaining retro computers, I can fully appreciate the passion the NASA engineers must have to keep these old beasts running! I wonder if they still give the retired engineers phone calls for advice? I would be curious about the amount of people working at NASA who could still actively code in machine language and understand the componentry fully on those things! Also loved the Deep Space Control room stills from across the decades, really shows the progression!

[@Jesusholmes64]

Older computers use larger chips that are very resilient to cosmic rays, the smaller you make chips the easier an errant particle can flip an 0 to a 1 and cause errors. Nasa is still using 2000 Era computers on their rovers, and the JWT

[@andrewgardner9615]

3þ

[@timdelvillar8063]

The fact that we can now refer to older computers as "retro" speaks volumes for the exponential advance in technology we've experienced since their introduction!

[@bobbyg9587]

I don't recall the source now, but I read an article about NASA pulling an old programmer out of retirement to work on the Voyagers. They needed someone who knew the programming language and could deal with the very severe memory restrictions of the Voyager systems.

[@debbylou5729]

We could start by seeing if they could use a rotary phone

[@TheAuron32]

it is truly amazing how well these ancient probes are STILL going even now, these are older than I am, i love modern tech but these things, I feel compelled to make sure my nieces and nephews (and hopefully someday my own kids) know about them and the durability they have.

[@markromine5103]

I was 9 years old when the two voyagers were launched. The documentaries that ran on network tv sparked a life-long interest in engineering through a degree and a decades long career. Taking a five year mission to 45+ years is an engineering achievement that should be lauded and studied, imho.

[@earlbrown]

Now, instead of making kids want to do STEM stuff, they're making TikTok ''influncers''.

[@tombraiderstrums09]

When we lose contact with the Voyagers I will probably cry. What good friends to humanity they have been.

[@KingRidley]

I imagine in the future we'll go out there and recover them.

[@cybercat29]

Indeed 😢

[@cybercat29]

​@KingRidley I hope so too 🥺

[@PhoenixT70]

@@KingRidleyI doubt it. It would be too much effort for a probe that will just keep going deeper into interstellar space. Besides, its secondary mission is to convey a message of peace to the stars. Just in case.

[@dimitarmargaritov]

@@PhoenixT70 It will be nice just to know that we would have this capability without having to use it.

[@geoffschulz]

7:57 My father, Gordon Schulz, was one of the founders of Odetics and he designed the transport mechanism for that 8 track DTR.

[@h.dejong2531]

He did a good job, along with the others involved in designing the Voyagers.

[@myyklmax]

One of the advantages of Voyager's base programming being on magnetic discs, it that even if Voyager goes into standby due to reduction or lack of communication with Earth, once the connection to Earth is retored, Voyagers can reboot itself from its onboard data discs.

[@pahtar7189]

Your comment about teaching old dogs new tricks brought to mind one of the most critical features that contributed to Voyagers' longevity: the ability to be reprogrammed remotely. This allowed NASA to correct errors and add new capabilities as needed, something they included in subsequent probes to great effect. Perhaps the best example was the Galileo probe whose high gain antenna failed to deploy, requiring a complete rewrite of the data storage and transmission routines to use the low gain antennas at over ten times their designed data rate, implementing brand new data compression technology. We use that technology today in JPEG and MPEG files.

[@DMKleinArts]

Coming in after the news of the 5 month blackout. They did a rewrite of how processes access ram, because after 47 years there was finally a bad sector of ram.

[@mikemike6182]

Don't worry, elon would send nanobot + Ai to outer world to get resources & multiplying themselves They'll come back as our conquerer 😂😂

[@benyomovod6904]

Engineers had a say, not beancounters. That simple

[@kennethcorley9333]

Looking at you, Boeing

[@georgeburns7251]

Ha ha. Don’t think so. They lasted because they were simple. There are still Model T Ford cars running. Lots of the latest Fords are recalled on their way to the junk yard

[@westlestrest6442]

​@georgeburns7251 I wouldn't compare a car that can get serviced routinely and is on earth where we know conditions to something that went into deep space. Literally the harshest conditions imaginable with no possibility of servicing it. It really is a marvelous of engineering.

[@iwaswrongabouteveryhthing]

DEI didn't exist, no obamas back then

[@watergal82]

More like they two groups worked together. The bean counters were not allowed to micromanage the engineering design choices or change mission parameters on a whim, but the engineers had budget constraints and couldn't exceed them without either cutting costs elsewhere or getting approval for the extra funds. It's amazing what a great engineer can do when they're given a fair budget, clear parameters, and the flexibility to optimize on their own judgment.

[@vokhev]

The Voyager probes have always fascinated me and I've always felt very attached to them. Maybe it's partly because we are about the same age. When I was a teenager, over 30 years ago, I already saw them as old but awesome pieces of technology. As time passes, they keep getting older and more awesome by continuing to do amazing science where nothing human made has ever gone before. When we finally lose contact with them, I'll be very sad. It'll be like loosing someone who's adventures I followed all my life.

[@lancerevell5979]

I graduated high school in 1975, so I'm glad to see the Voyagers are still ticking. Like me, they are showing their age, but keep on going. 😎👍

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

I remember them launching... and thinking HOW MANY years until they get somewhere? I was partway through my Bio degree at the time and though concentrating on Bio, I was bemoaning the fact that I couldn't take MORE courses! In so many more subjects.

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

@@lancerevell5979 3 years ahead of you... and I'm showing MY age too. But still going... and going... and going...

[@Falc0n215]

I feel the same way! I was heartbroken when Cassini burned up. It will be a sad day when we lose contact with the Voyagers forever.

[@kayzeaza]

I feel the same although I am much younger. I’m glad that people decided to plan and execute these missions so many decades ago. Now I get to reap a lot of the benefits in the present.

[@TallinuTV]

I was born in October of '77, just 1-2 months after they were launched. Ever since I was old enough to learn about them and understand what they were, I've been fascinated by their journey. Just thinking about it can bring tears to my eyes. It'll be a sad day when we finally lose contact or have to shut them down.

[@tomfromoz]

Why would they _have_ to be shut down? *Tom's wife Pam*

[@arsenicuu]

​@@tomfromozThe entire probe does not need to be shut down, however, as the power output of the generators declines due to age, different subsystems need to be turned off independently to conserve the function of the core systems, such as telemetry or communications.

[@Rampart.X]

Or remote detonation of the explosives onboard.

[@tomfromoz]

@@arsenicuu O IC. TY! Pam

[@GoldenEDM_2018]

Damn bro you must be old

[@carlobi]

Loved your use of farther. I hate it when people use further when referring to distance.

[@jayfisher3359]

I thought it was just US and UK English

[@MosesMatsepane]

Further from the truth, Farther from your house. It’s easy to slip up and exchange them.

[@BeeBee3_Adventures]

Love the gramma police

[@jamesbizs]

@@MosesMatsepaneis it tho? I mean; one literally had the word FAR in it. You can’t exactly drive to fur away from your house. Should be simple enough to know which word means what? Father is distance because far is distance. With this one simple trick :D.

[@jamesbizs]

@@BeeBee3_Adventuresit’s grandma. Get it right.

[@99goat99]

Wonderful video. My grandparents (all four of which I had into adulthood) were born between 1911 and 1916. They were all born within a decade or so of the first powered flight by the Wright brothers in 1903. They all lived to see Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon on July 20th, 1969. I was born 5 days later, and was therefore a child of 8 when the Voyager probes were launched. Carl Sagan was (and is) a hero of mine. Space exploration, for the first time, was science reality and not just science fiction. Every time one of the Voyager probes flew past a planet, I was awestruck. Sometimes we'd have to wait years between those planetary visits. Jupiter in 1979, Saturn the following year in 1980, For Uranus we had to wait until 1986 - a seeming eternity to my young self. Finally, Neptune in 1989. I was 20 years old that year, and am now 54 as I sit and type this. Imagine a car you bought new in 1977 lasting to today without ever visiting a mechanic. THAT is what these scientists accomplished. Of course, it's far more impressive than even that. I'm grateful that I lived during these exciting times; the robotic probes on Mars, the New Horizons probe giving us the first clear images of Pluto and Charon... I wonder if I'll live long enough to see man step foot on Mars. Maybe I'll die 5 days later. Wouldn't that be poetic?

[@michaelhayden725]

Thanks for putting it into some perspective. My late grandmother, borne 1892 lived until 1985 so she went from the Wright Bros to Armstrong , Voyager and the Shuttle. Me? I can only claim so amount of computer skill. RIP Molly!

[@jaquigreenlees]

I was born early in 1965 and was just old enough to actually be able to remember watching Neil Armstrong's first transmission from the moon live.

[@brianarbenz1329]

Great observations, 99goat99. I watched Neil step onto the moon with my mother, who recalled hearing radio reports about Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic; and my grandparents, who were born in 1896 and ‘97 and remembered hearing of the Wright Brothers first flight. Three generations with their own histories.

[@dxmyr]

beautiful comment. never knew about the voyager flying past planets and its awesome to hear from someone's perspective who lived through it all

[@MadHax-wt5tl]

Having found myself among the human race in 1971, I got to follow these probes from childhood to late teens. I still consider it to be a major highlight of my youth. I still find it mind boggling that there had never had such a close look at the outer planets before then. It happened in my lifetime, because I'm old!

[@suomeaboo]

Amazing how we can still follow them half a century later.

[@sophierobinson2738]

I’m from 1953. I saw all the launches and splash downs, and fought with my older brother for the NASA patches in the cereal boxes.

[@MichaelWinter-ss6lx]

@MadHax-wt5tl, wtf, 52 & U think Ure old!? What you gonna be in 20 years? I thought i got old at 60, but with 61 i startet to see old is different. Wakeup!🖖

[@johnkilcullen]

To anyone who enjoyed this, I recommend watching the documentary film "The Farthest". I loved how the scientists, engineers and technicians who worked on the project, most of whom are now quite old, used the words "we" and "us" referring to themselves and the two probes.

[@johndoran3274]

Here we are 50 years later and I can’t even get 10 years out of a water heater. Progress is awesome!

[@endutubecensorship]

Or 5 years out of a $2000 "smart" phone

[@stargazer7644]

Water heaters have consumable anodes. Replace the anode periodically (or get an electric anode like a corro-protec) and your water heater will last forever.

[@Mike_Dubayou]

@@endutubecensorshipyou can absolutely get more than 5 years out of your phone. You just choose not too.

[@endutubecensorship]

@@Mike_Dubayou That's exactly what I'm trying to do however it seems the more you update the less the phone performs as it once did. Planned obsolescence?

[@MrDibara]

​@@endutubecensorship Planned obsolescense. _The perfect excuse for you to go out there and buy a new phone~!_ 😊🙏💰

[@heavypen]

I was surprised by the mention of Odetics, Inc. the builder of the flight recording system in the Voyager. It's the subcontractors who are often forgotten.

[@johndododoe1411]

And fortunately they didn't add anti-repair features to their product...

[@DemoCATicMAN]

@@johndododoe1411 Yeah, that's for sure. I'm an Electronics Technician, and it has been frustrating realizing the disposability factor in the electronics industry, my chosen career path. Used to work for Honeywell Military/Avionics.

[@DemoCATicMAN]

It was refreshingly interesting to learn that that system incorporated an 8-track magnetic recording medium. Back then we didn't have access yet to very large scale integration, hence, no memory cards. I still appreciate all the high reliability analog circuitry "Pre-Digital era" that went into those systems, and they are still functioning to this day.

[@DexxBlue]

Astrum is a wonderful YT Channel and I'm such a Fan ! Your calm gentle narration delivers Us with facts that astound without the hype & drama. Per Ardua ad ASTRUM !

[@jnellie1970]

The man behind the Voyager’s was Gary Flandro. His family lived in our neighborhood for a few years. A good man for sure, brilliant and extremely under appreciated.

[@homefrontforge]

I remember the Apollo missions, mariner, vikings, voyagers, skylab, the space shuttles...great stuff to fuel a young man's imagination. So neat voyagers are still going strong.

[@CaesarDarias]

Nice video. Informative and entertaining. I was reading on the the NASA site that it will take at least 12,000 years for Voyager to leave our solar system. The distances and numbers are mind bending… Here’s a video idea: What information would Voyager be able to send with 2024 technology?

[@georgeolson3996]

The Backup Thrusters built by Rocket Research of Redmond Washington had to fire at -- 1/10th of the minimum thrust for 1/10th of the minimum time specified in the NASA Contract Specifications. AND had to do this 4 times . JPL set us up with direct video feed in Redmond and whole staff at Rocket Research when Wild Cheering when signal was re-established.😅

[@amazinggrace5692]

Cool comment!

[@Jewellerybybarrie]

Im not at all surprised, I have a Walkman from the 1980's that will run for up to 32 hours continuously with only one AA battery. Even more surprising is that in the late 90's I have a MiniDisc recorder that has two lasers, one to heat the disc and the other to read and write the music, a motor and controller to spin the disc, as well as power a display and again all on one AA battery..

[@Matt-yg8ub]

Batteries have gotten worse over time

[@Sterling_Silver04]

@@Matt-yg8ub I have noticed some brands of batteries absolutely suck, but some are excellent still

[@delavalmilker]

I was born in 1955, a little over two years before the very first satellite barely made it into space. I was 22 when I remember watching the Voyager launches. I still can't believe this incredible story of the Voyagers today.

[@Tantejay]

I remember very vaguely the start of the probes. It was a big deal for my parents so naturally I was interested, too. I didn't really understand what I saw, but my parents were fascinated. I am born in 1969. It is amazing that after all that time the probes are still going.

[@dylangtech]

This is one of my favorite aspects of computing, and an underrated one: Cresting radical efficiency even if unnecessary. Making every clock cycle and every bit you have count.

[@clarkpj1]

Remember when Bill Gates said "256k of memory is enough for anyone"? I built my first computer in 1975 using an 8008 processor. Initially it had 256 bytes of memory but actually worked.

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

I Told you eight-track tapes were the best!! I hope V'ger has a long happy existence in another dimension.

[@jamesberlo4298]

So unbelievable, I remember this when I was 16 years old being very poor and living in a Boston Housing Project watching on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show just before they were Launched , it gave me a diversion from life and was so exciting (and unbelievable) no way imagining they would still be operational or still traveling, they were supposed to end a long time ago and people didn't think they would even last or survive as long as planned.

[@robbierobinson8819]

What a great episode after the Voyager 2 glitch correction was carried out. I was in primary school when the teacher brought a portable radio into the classroom and let us hear the signal from Sputnik1. Ever since then I have been intrigued by space exploration so the Voyager missions are always on my list of news to look out for. This retrospective look at the life of Voyager 1 has been great and I will be watching it again.

[@HyperMario64]

That's so cool. There's poetry in sending these machines to where there is no return, stuck with the best technology we had at the time of launching. Radiating a signal until either power or transmission fails.

[@joshisnot11]

Voyager Probes should be considered among Earth’s greatest ever creations. Voyager 1 is the first man made object to ever leave our solar system. I love that machine like no other machine. It is beautiful and awe inspiring. Thank you for this video.

[@KingRidley]

I think people agree that yeah, they're up there as the best things we've ever built

[@SilentRunningRedux]

YES!

[@VladMoneybagsThe3rd]

I always thought that gold disk where sound can be turned into images is bloody freaky.

[@malectric]

In my opinion, the Voyager probes are some of the best ever feats of science and engineering in recent history.

[@Diamond_Tiara]

this. going to the moon was a thing, sending robots to mars too but sending humanity in the confines of the universe is another level. Should have been done a few times more while we could.

[@rickreid81]

When i was in elementary school, I remember my science class teacher talking about V1 & V2. Glad I was their to hear it.

[@curtisquick1582]

I was lucky enough to get a press pass to be at JPL during the Voyager-2 flyby of Saturn. I had just graduated high school and had interviewed a JPL scientist a few months earlier. He had connections and that got me in. It was awesome to be there as the pictures from each moon, ring, and planetary encounter came in and it was awesome to talk with the scientists at JPL and ask questions during the many press conferences that I had only seen on TV before. It is sad to think that many of the scientists that worked on the Voyager mission are no longer with us and that the two spacecraft will sail off into the darkness never to be heard from again. Nevertheless, I will always remember the summer of 1981 and my time being part of the Voyager experience. Voyager changed my view of the solar system in a grand way! It was like something out of a science fiction fantasy.

[@randyross5630]

Yeah, me too... But I don't remember you there, because you are a Lair!

[@seanhartnett79]

It is bittersweet. But it is very possible either voyager 1 or voyager 2 will discover alien life or we will rediscover them when we are exploring our solar system or when we go to the stars.

[@Bobrogers99]

45 years! Such extraordinary engineering and quality of construction is impressive!

[@paulstewart6293]

Électricity counters, the ones with the spinning disc? They are being replaced by an electronic device. The original devices can be over 65 years old and they have Never broken down.

[@deadmanschest4322]

0:34 - I appreciate the reference to how long space travel can last and what that means for the technologies of the various long-term projects. It reminds me of a science fiction novel I read in the late 80s (unfortunately I can't remember the title or the author). The story began with the launch of mankind's first spaceship, which transported a large crew in cryostasis to an (uninhabited) planet in another solar system. This journey was to take around 400 years. As the spaceship approached its destination as planned, the crew were awakened from cryostasis as requested and were astonished to discover that the planet was already inhabited... with people from Earth who had arrived 100 years earlier, but had only set off 250 years after the first launch from Earth. Space technology had developed so far in those 250 years, that the journey itself only took 50 years and the first spaceship launched was overtaken with ease (and unnoticed because the route naturally had a slightly different course)

[@CosminDuru]

cool. would be so interesting if you'd remember the title..

[@Rev03FFL]

Good comment on the word “attitude”. I worked at NASA early on in the Space Station, on a project to verify the use of the Soyuz vehicle as an ACRV (Assured Crew Return Vehicle). Several times I gave presentations to Russian engineers. They didn’t know English (well, a few did but didn’t let on we believed). The Russians brought over translators, but these were from their fledgling tourist industry and didn’t understand technical jargon. So I would say a few sentences, the translator would repeat in Russian, then I’d go on a few more sentences. I started talking about attitude control on the ACRV, and I would get quizzical looks from the Russians. So I queried the translators and figured out their definition of attitude was a way of thinking, or mental state, very unlike my usage. So I had to change my own language. As an aside, some of the translators were young attractive women. I wanted to see if I could get one out on a date. But my boss said no fraternization! I was bummed.

[@tellyonthewall8751]

shyte .. having new unexplored beauties within reach .. and getting the fingers slapped trying to reach ouchh! Should have said "But James Bond did ... collecting info"

[@bryansansone3301]

"I've got a probe for you, Любимая."

[@tellyonthewall8751]

@@bryansansone3301 🤣😄🤣😄 .... 🥒and seeing the 🌌's .. then she could sing "🎼 Heaven ... I'm in Heaven ... And my heart beats so that I can't hardly speak ... And I seem to find the happiness I seek ... When we're out together, dancing cheek to cheek ...🎶 Don't saying what cheeks are "cheek to cheek" ... c") ...

[@bdickinson6751]

They were spys!

[@bdickinson6751]

9:09 Fun fact: Everything, including ourselves, is mostly empty space!

[@greghodges2116]

What amazes me is that the technology of the Voyagers is outlasting the engineers and scientists who designed them

[@devilsatan2973]

Well, people do get old after all!

[@OGMann]

Lots of focus on the engineering, fair enough. As both an engineer and a mechanic I can say a ton of respect needs to go to the people who actually constructed the parts. I spent a lot of time in the field correcting engineering mistakes and sending modifications and corrections back to planning to update the specs.

[@artdonovandesign]

An absolutely breathtaking feat of engineering! A testimony of how well trained, visionary and dedicated the entire Voyager Team is. There must be two, possibly three generations of brilliant NASA scientists and affiliated suppliers who've worked on Voyager(s) these past 46 years.

[@ladcrooks275]

Fantastic - This episode, showed the detail that went into the build of these probes. Amazing how computers have moved on! I'm from the 286 era. Gets me, how they can accurately piggy back from one planet to another.

[@donelson52]

I remember in the 70s entering the main door of MIT and seeing up near the balcony of the 2nd floor a TV screen with one of the voyagers' cameras approaching Jupiter, and every day it would be a little closer, and you could begin to see the red spot and then you could see it swirling and that was absolutely fabulous every single day One of my most indelible memories. And still they sail on. Astonishing.

[@JusticeAlways]

I am just amazed with that 8 track DTR...how the recording tape was able to hold up in such a harsh freezing environment.

[@zounds010]

The tape recording is in a compartment that is kept near room temperature by heaters.

[@jmmahony]

This doesn't just apply to long range missions, but also to large complicated projects that have a long development time. I remember when the first space shuttle finally got off the launch pad, it was said that the onboard computers were already almost a decade behind the then-current technology.

[@brentfisher902]

My friend told me about a data center that was being built in the 1970s for AT&T that needed the building to be big enough to hold all the disk drives that by the time they finished building it, they only needed half as much room as the disks have gotten twice as dense in that short period of time.

[@bipolarminddroppings]

One of the best paradoxes in space travel is that the first people to leave for another solar system will arrive to find others already there. Because technology improves so fast, and other stars are so far away, if you are the first to leave the people who leave after you will have technology that allows them to travel much faster and thus will arrive before you. One day we will likely be able to go grab these probes and bring them home because on a galatic scale they will be within arms reach.

[@kdesikdosi5900]

unless the "much faster travel" technology simply doesn't exist

[@beacjere284]

i just have to say congrats to the voyager teams!!!!! amazing work all of you!

[@whyjnot420]

When I look at mankinds ventures into space, it is interesting (to me at least) that the space shuttle represents when I started. In the 70s when it was really being developed, my parents were figuring out how they wanted to plan their family. Leading me to be conceived not long (some months) after they started putting STS-1 together on LC-39 and born a few months before its launch in April of 1981. Those 3 decades of the STS program basically coincide with the first 3 decades of my life. As someone who loves basically anything about space (I'm more about cosmology and DSOs, so manned spaceflight is certainly part of it, but not so much as things like the work by Slipher and Hubble a century and more back, things like the STS's role with the Hubble Telescope cannot be ignored either). Stuff like the Voyager program and Skylab represent to me, the period of space exploration and related sciences immediately prior to "my" period. That they did so much with so little in such programs is something that I will forever admire.

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

Highlighting the importance of keeping things as simple as possible. By adding complexity, you're automatically adding more potential failure points, and keeping things operational and reliable is key. You can't really make anything "too strong" or "too reliable" for something like this. I remember the launch of Voyager 2. I was 7 years old, and it set fire to my imagination. I've been a science and sci-fi fan ever since.

[@1701enter]

I was Nineteen when they Launched the Voyagers, And not long after that I met and Married The love of my life. We used to watch Dr Carl Sagon on TV describing the universe with such passion and joy, It was thrilling to watch and listen to. Your presentation reminded me very much of those times, Thank you for that from an old Scots Guy

[@deaks25]

The Voyager probes are the genesis of my fascination with space, engineering and probably even sci-fi. For many of my generation it was the Space Shuttle, but for me it was these already 15-year old probes that grabbed me. And for all the incredible missions we conduct today, the two old probes still add their contributions to scientific discovery even now. It sounds weird even to me but I will genuinely shed a tear when their power reserves drop to the level where they are put into hibernation. For me, they rank as one of the greatest achievements of human kind, and I would make a case for them to rank as the greatest.

[@seanhartnett79]

I feel you, there is something about these probes. It required the blood, sweat and tears of hundreds of workers from all levels; to build; program and launch it: thousands of years of human history all leading to this point. And we launched it into the unknowns of space to explore and we knew they would never come back. We installed a record for alien contact knowing it would leave the solar system and we sent it on its way. We knew we would eventually lose contact and it would either eventually fulfill its mission and find alien life or it would be lost into the dark voids of space.

[@seanhartnett79]

And we are getting closer and closer to losing contact forever. The equipment to contact voyager is a very old computer system, which has been slowly breaking. The computer language for it has become more and more rare and we have fewer and fewer people who can use the commands. Most of which are retired and dying off. It is so far away that commands sent take longer and longer to be received and acted upon. We have already had to turn off most of the instruments to save power and it is still on low power.

[@seanhartnett79]

So far 5 times we have heard that this might be the last communication or photo from voyager. And for now we have been able to reestablish communication. It gets harder and harder each time. And takes longer and longer. And we can tell the battery is decreasing and we have to shut down all non vital instruments. If we are lucky we might be able to get a couple more measurements or photos back. Maybe we could send it a message “Godspeed.” Or something. I think we should declare a national day of mourning or something when we finally lose contact.

[@seanhartnett79]

3 generations of scientists all working on that one program.

[@joeiborowski9763]

The space shuttle program was NASA's biggest boondogle ever. It was supposedly design to save money without using disposable rockets. However it costed much more than disposable rockets , 209 billion over 39 years and 2 lost and 13 lives due to explosions. All it did was do low earth orbits for 39 years at a price of an average of 1.6 billion per flight compared to the 20 million NASA intially claimed it will do. It tied up money for decades that could had been used for more beneficial space projects. Fixing the Hubble space telescope and aiding in building the international space sation could had been done at a fraction of he cost instead of using the Shuttle. Sounds like it was somone's pet peeve project at NASA and /or a money grabbing scheme used by NASA's contractors.

[@karthik448]

What's also amazing to me is that there are engineers now that are still able to work with these probes. Their passion is commendable

[@PowderedToastMan477]

It is a humbling experience to see just HOW slow the speed of light is in the context of the universe. Just like shooting a rubber band at a friend next to you and it hitting 20 years later...

[@jacobtaylor2350]

I think that if nasa had as much funding as the military we could’ve been on mars or further by now if we could do this in 1977.

[@chrisbarry9345]

If it had even 10% of it lol... Heck does it even get 1%?

[@labren]

@@chrisbarry93455% give or take a few.

[@datdudeinred]

If you have to switch to a backup system after 43yrs continous operation then my friend they did extraordinarily great job. 👏

[@dalastdon2574]

One of mankind’s best engineering feats.

[@cyankirkpatrick5194]

Dang Skippy

[@frederickwilt5541]

Great stuff.

[@886014]

This is a great video of an extraordinary era in engineering. This was a time when brilliant minds made the most of what was available and thought in the long-game.

[@ronhutcherson9845]

I still have the National Geographic magazines with those first photos of Jupiter and Saturn. The Voyagers are something all of humanity can be proud of. I hope some day another spacefaring intelligence finds one and admires it.

[@lancegigs9022]

Keep that..... It might help you in difficult times.

[@trimetrodon]

There is probably a small chance that someone like Musk in the future might decide to launch a mission to capture and return one of those probes.

[@ronhutcherson9845]

@@trimetrodon Oh, that would be sad.

[@ronhutcherson9845]

@@lancegigs9022 I’ll take your advice and read it again. I think it was in that first Voyager issue -They put a flip-photo movie in the bottom outside corner so you can see the Great Red Spot in motion.

[@stargazer7644]

The Klingons will blow it out of the sky as space junk.

[@Phoenix-ej2sh]

I remember when Voyager was absolute state of the art. When they first started returning photos of the outer planets, it was absolutely stunning and inspiring in a way I can't put into words. The eruption on Io... the sound of Jupiter's bow shock... these were amazing moments.

[@armandomercado2248]

The Pioneer 10 & 11 also lasted way beyond their design life. They stopped functioning only when the RTGs couldn't produce enough power to keep them running. The Voyagers will have a similar fate.

[@tobyihli9470]

What a wonderful return on an investment! Congratulations to the scientists and engineers who created and built the Voyagers! So much respect for your efforts and expertise! You have truly enriched the generations.

[@GilmerJohn]

Remember that there is significant continued investment in management of the ground based communications and engineers paid to understand and predict failures of 50 yo technology.

[@jcbrites]

@1:39 we can see an HP pocket calculator, perhaps a 34c model. My dad used to have one of these. It got me hooked into RNP calculators.

[@johnpearcey]

I remember when these Voyagers left Earth. The fact that they're still working today with their 1970's technology literally blows my mind.

[@ryanyoder7573]

It doesn’t literally blow your mind. If it did your brain would be on the wall.

[@johnpearcey]

@@ryanyoder7573 Not necessarily, more like a few synapses blew, a bit like a fuse blowing. But maybe you shouldn't have taken my metaphor literally.

[@dazuk1969]

Voyager 1 and 2 are amazing. They have traveled so far and are still working even if most of the instruments have been turned off to save power. I know from watching your vids one has recorded strange sounds that are very eerie. I wish they could power up the cameras again just to see what they can see. There must be something there even if it is just stars in the distance. Great stuff Astrum.

[@stargazer7644]

There is nothing to see out there. The view really hasn’t changed at all since they passed Neptune other than the nearest star (the Sun) has gotten a bit dimmer.

[@dazuk1969]

@@stargazer7644 You never know, they might accidently come across planet 9 or an alien spacecraft 😉

[@stargazer7644]

@@dazuk1969Not even remotely possible. Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.

[@DemoCATicMAN]

@@stargazer7644 Might that be a quote from "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". I've also had the handle "Stargazer", from back in my day's operating citizen band radio's in the later half of the 70's.

[@stargazer7644]

@@DemoCATicMAN:)

[@andycopeland7051]

"Just because it's an old dog doesn't mean it isn't really, REALLY good at what it does." Incredible what was made so long ago. Too bad NASA is a shell of what it once was

[@Mylifeintechnicolor]

The MIPS CPU that was used in the PS1, it's design have been used in the 2015 New Horizon space probe. The CPU have been radiation hardened, but it is basically the same. It was chosen because it was power efficient and if i remember correctly it also was less prone to bitflip.

[@stargazer7644]

They were based on the same MIPS R3000 base instruction set, but they were very different processors. Many different CPUs were made that were based on the second gen MIPS R3000. New Horizons used a radiation hardened Mongoose-V CPU made by Synova running at 12 MHz designed specifically for space based operations. It was used because it was a proven platform that had flown on multiple spacecraft. The PS1 used a MIPS R3051 made by LSI which is compatible with the R3000.

[@zounds010]

8:20 the DTR on Voyager 1 is still operational: the PWS instrument writes its data to the DTR, and about once every 6 months this data is played back and sent to Earth. The latest tape playback session I could find was on January 25, 2023.

[@conradnelson5283]

Great video about a great machine. I remember following the voyagers and how exciting it was the pictures and the data were just marvelous. And the fact that it is still going and reporting back is incredible. I’m glad it was the star of Star Trek movie.

[@dr4d1s]

This is the kind of content that made me fall in love with Astrum! Please, continue doing more videos like this and leave some of the more clickbaity ones you have done recently in the bin.

[@shindousan]

0:17 Computers today are programmed inefficiently and wastefully.

[@lilkittygirl]

They’re also 1,000 times stronger so efficiency might not be the issue here

[@Pantology_Enthusiast]

Massively😒

[@IOANCHRIST-GODSTEF]

Yeap, They Do A Lot Of Gematria and Sinchronicity For Master Reptile Capitalist Snakes To Calculate and Influence Reincarnation Probabilities!

[@johnking6252]

Wow, classic 8-track , hard to find tapes for them anymore. 👍✌️👍

[@Tuck-Shop]

Useless fact about 8-track tape availability: The only tapes found outside of the solar system are 8-track tapes.

[@markwentz8332]

Love Voyager video's! i was born between the launches of 2 & 1 coming up on 47 years together

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

Jest a "spring chicken" ya arrr!

[@budwhite9591]

That’s cool

[@turkfiles]

I worked for a small division of Xerox Corp in Pasadena, CA. When the fly by of Saturn was about to occur in the early 80’s, our division’s President was invited by JPL to attend that incredible event in the control center. He brought back photos for all employees. I have them stored in an airtight container. Unfortunately, I’m not sure where they are in my storage area. Hope to find them soon!

[@djackman4229]

I remember when they left there was great excitement. It was fully comprehended how far they were going and quality people applied logic and hard work and faith to give every chance the breathtaking vision would be fulfilled, and it has. Ahead of their time is unecasarilly complimentary to today - its a standard of excellence we should recognise and strive to emulate.

[@danm9006]

The Voyager probes are like the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Early explorers that captured civilization's imagination. So iconic, the Star Trek franchise incorporated Voyager into the motion picture re-start. Imagine what this probe will be doing in 300 years. THAT'S hope for the future. 😊

[@alexanderSydneyOz]

Not *every single* project of NASA's has worked out perfectly, but the overwhelming majority of successes, is staggering. Particularly space probes, telescopes, landings of other planets, rovers etc. The launch side of things has been hampered and directed by interference from Congress. That both the Voyagers are still operational, is truly incredible and a testament to the brilliance and meticulousness, of the project management and all others involved. I note that they are actually a bit *over* 45 years in space by now, so did Alex record this last year?

[@debbylou5729]

I don’t know why people are amazed. A refrigerator from 1977 still works better than a new one

[@FrederikJolle]

Yep planned obsolescence is such a great concept 😅

[@davidbrittenham4631]

My ex-wife's 1974 model Maytag washer and dryer both still work fine. I did minimal maintenance on them over the years. I have replaced the timer twice on the washer, water inlet valve on the washer rebuilt twice, one belt on the washer, one belt on the dryer, 2 heating elements on the dryer, replaced the plastic fan blade assembly on the dryer, and one very minor electrical repair to the moisture sensor that turns the dryer off when the clothes are dry. They have been working great for 50 years. She has no intention of replacing either of them.

[@scottymoondogjakubin4766]

2 of my favorite spacecrafts ! Amazing we can still communicate with them ! Its cool watching the odometer readings on nasas voyager dashboard ! crazy they are only about 18 light hours away !

[@rhouser1280]

It’s an “OLD MACHINE!” I thought “yea it is, wait a min, I’m old then”

[@erictaylor5462]

A brand new PhD student, in 1977 could have spent not only his entire career working on Voyager, that scientists child could have been born, gone to school gotten their own PhD then spent their entire career working on Voyage.

[@TheFreyJedi]

Omg I'm always happy to see a new Astrum video!!

[@freemanjackmsiradio]

I have just the thing you are looking for, a bridge in london, quite famous, it's a snip

[@k.taylor3526]

Thank you for the love for these incredible machines!❤

[@jasonbreathkiller3660]

it's amazing that voyager is still transmitting data after 50 years in space, it's a super nintendo, it never dies

[@stargazer7644]

46 years.

[@jasonbreathkiller3660]

@@stargazer7644 like i said, 50 years

[@charlessomerset9754]

Vger was built for a five year mission? Now that's what I call a meta Star Trek coincidence. And for any fan of 1979s Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a fun fact.