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More than a calendar week after accidentallycutting off communications with the Voyager 2 probe , NASAofficials discover a hopeful signal that may earmark them to restore contact with the interstellar traveller months in the lead of schedule .
On Aug. 1 , NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL ) Twitter account confirmed that engineers had receive a transmission system called a carrier signal from Voyager 2 — which is currently cruise beyond the sharpness of thesolar systemmore than 12.3 billion air mile ( 19.9 billion kilometers ) from Earth .
An illustration of Voyager 1 and 2 about to exit the heliosphere, the boundary that separates our solar system from interstellar space.
" A snatch like try the ballistic capsule ’s ' heartbeat , ' it confirms the space vehicle is still broadcasting , which orchestrate expected,“JPL officials tweeted .
This " heartbeat " sign indicated that Voyager 2 is still run even after a serial of project operations on July 21 by chance angle the probe ’s antenna about two point away from Earth , all but cutting off communications between Voyager and NASA ’s Deep Space internet — the international array of radio receiver aerial that plump for NASA ’s interplanetary missions .
Related : Voyager 1 sends strange signals from beyond the solar system . Scientists are confused .
With the " heartbeat " confirm , NASA will next try and send a dictation back to Voyager 2 to coax the probe into angling its antenna back toward Earth . Typically , it takes about 18.5 hours for a bidding to reach Voyager 2 , and another 18.5 hours for Earth to receive a contagion back from the probe , consort toScientific American , so we may know its fate in the next two solar day .
If the force realignment go wrong , Voyager 2 is expected to reset its antenna to the ground - facing position on Oct. 15 , in one of a planned series of machine - reset that occur throughout the yr .
Voyager 2 and its matching Voyager 1 were launched into space in August and September 1977 , respectively , 16 days apart from one another . Both probe shot past the outersolar systemplanets before venturing ahead toward the border of the heliosphere — the outermost stratum of the sun ’s atmosphere , which separates our solar system from interstellar space .
— A mystifying ' hum ' vibrates interstellar space . Voyager 1 has a recording of it .
— What happens in intergalactic distance ?
— What ’s the maximum number of satellite that could orbit the sun ?
Voyager 1 cracked the heliosphere first , pass on interstellar infinite in August 2012 . It is currently cruising about 14.8 billion air mile ( 23.8 billion km ) from our planet , making it the single most remote human made object from Earth ever created . Voyager 2 followed in its twin ’s pusher - steps several years afterwards , leaving the heliosphere in November 2018 .
