NASA, which is almost 19 billions of kilometers from Earth -Sonde Voyager 2 received signals from Earth, carried out commands and returned an acknowledgment for the first time in months. This has now been announced by the US space agency, which is currently repairing the only antenna in its deep space networks that can still communicate with the probe. With the exception of its sister probe, it is further away from us than any other human object. The repairs to the antenna should be completed in February and will enable future communication not only with the 1977 started probe.

Voyager 2 was before 43 Years started, a few days before Voyager 1 and thus only 20 Years after the first artificial satellite ever: Sputnik. Both made use of favorable constellations of the planets in the outer solar system on their routes and passed Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 1 then turned north, Voyager 2 visited Uranus and Neptune before heading south. After decades they have passed the limit of the heliosphere and are on their way to the stars. They will survive us on earth, because the probability that they will stumble upon anything on their lonely path is almost zero.

The maintains for communication with their interplanetary probes NASA has three radio antennas 43 meters in diameter in California, Spain and Australia. The locations are chosen so that each probe should be able to contact at least one antenna at any time, regardless of its position in the solar system. Only these antennas are powerful enough to reach the Voyager probes, signals there require more than 13 (Voyager 2) or 21 hours (Voyager 1). Voyager 2 is now so far south of the orbital plane of the planets that it can no longer see the locations in the northern hemisphere of the earth and can only be radioed from Canberra, explains NASA.

Voyager 2 ( images ) NASA has created several posters to celebrate the missions.

(Image: NASA) (mho)