NASA JPL Unveils the Dr. Edward Stone Exploration Trail – NASA

NASA JPL Unveils the Dr. Edward Stone Exploration Trail – NASA

A series of plaques stretching through the heart of the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers highlights of the space explorer’s career and the Voyager mission he led. Family members, colleagues, and local dignitaries gathered on Friday, Dec. 6, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California for the unveiling of a memorial honoring Ed Stone, … Read more

Mining Old Data From NASA’s Voyager 2 Solves Several Uranus Mysteries – NASA

Mining Old Data From NASA’s Voyager 2 Solves Several Uranus Mysteries – NASA

NASA’s Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus decades ago shaped scientists’ understanding of the planet but also introduced unexplained oddities. A recent data dive has offered answers. When NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Uranus in 1986, it provided scientists’ first — and, so far, only — close glimpse of this strange, sideways-rotating outer planet. Alongside … Read more

Still Kickin’ Since the ’70s: NASA’s Voyager Mission Keeps Exploring – NASA Science

Still Kickin’ Since the ’70s: NASA’s Voyager Mission Keeps Exploring – NASA Science

Each of NASA’s Voyager probes are equipped with three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), including the one shown here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The RTGs provide power for the spacecraft by converting the heat generated by the decay of plutonium-238 into electricity. Launched in 1977, the Voyager mission is managed for NASA by … Read more

Voyager 1 Team Accomplishes Tricky Thruster Swap – NASA Science

Voyager 1 Team Accomplishes Tricky Thruster Swap – NASA Science

Both Voyager probes feature three sets, or branches, of thrusters: two sets of attitude propulsion thrusters and one set of trajectory correction maneuver thrusters. During the mission’s planetary flybys, both types of thrusters were used for different purposes. But as Voyager 1 travels on an unchanging path out of the solar system, its thruster needs … Read more

Ed Stone, Former Director of JPL, Voyager Project Scientist, Dies – NASA

Ed Stone, Former Director of JPL, Voyager Project Scientist, Dies – NASA

Known for his steady leadership, consensus building, and enthusiasm for engaging the public in science, Stone left a deep impact on the space community. Edward C. Stone, former director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and longtime project scientist of the agency’s Voyager mission, died on June 9, 2024. He was 88. He … Read more

NASA’s Voyager Team Focuses on Software Patch, Thrusters – NASA

NASA’s Voyager Team Focuses on Software Patch, Thrusters – NASA

The efforts should help extend the lifetimes of the agency’s interstellar explorers. Engineers for NASA’s Voyager mission are taking steps to help make sure both spacecraft, launched in 1977, continue to explore interstellar space for years to come. One effort addresses fuel residue that seems to be accumulating inside narrow tubes in some of the … Read more