A set of thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft successfully fired up Wednesday after 37 years without use.

Voyager 1, NASA's farthest and fastest spacecraft, is the only human-made object in interstellar space, the environment between the stars.

cold and dark start

I read that yesterday and am amazed the two Voyagers are still functioning and calling home on a regular basis.

What amazes me is the fact that 1977 technology was able to design a power system that has lasted all these decades! While within our solar system, some recharging of onboard batteries could occur even with the primitive solar cells that 1977 tech allowed.

But now, with Voyager 1 well into interstellar space, where is the energy coming from for those solar cells?

15 minutes ago, n4gix said:

.....where is the energy coming from for those solar cells?

Aliens doing drive-bys with their headlights on full beam  

 

Sorry Fr. 

"Fascinating"
             -Commander Spock

20 hours ago, n4gix said:

What amazes me is the fact that 1977 technology was able to design a power system that has lasted all these decades! While within our solar system, some recharging of onboard batteries could occur even with the primitive solar cells that 1977 tech allowed.

But now, with Voyager 1 well into interstellar space, where is the energy coming from for those solar cells?

They use an on board nuclear power source, this reference from the Jet Propulsion laboratory:  https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft/

 

20 hours ago, HighBypass said:

Aliens doing drive-bys with their headlights on full beam  

 

That's why aliens have never come to visit us, they scanned the spacecraft's memory banks, and being those are from 1977, they think we're all into orange and brown paisley wallpaper, flared trousers, tank tops and disco music.

Would you go to a planet where these were the cool things to be into to?

That's where that Star Trek movie got it all wrong, the aliens who found 'V'Ger' should have been communicating with Kirk like this:

 

1 hour ago, CW46 said:

They use an on board nuclear power source, this reference from the Jet Propulsion laboratory:  https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft/

Ah, that explains everything. Odd that the development of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators seems to have stalled out. Imagine having one powering your flight sim computer!

Could save a bit on heating the house too! It worked for Matt Damon (The Martian)..

Ah, "The Martian" is one of the (many) movies I've missed over the years.

Not seen it myself yet, but I've read the book