NASA Engineers Renew Hope to Fix Voyager 1 after Interstellar Space Data Outage Traced Back to Onboard Computer

NASA, California, USA United States of America
An engineer with NASA's Deep Space Network was able to decode the new signal and found that it contains a readout of FDS memory.
NASA engineers have renewed hope to fix hobbled Voyager 1 after interstellar space data outage. The problem was traced to one of the onboard computers, known as the Flight Data System (FDS), which is responsible for packaging science and engineering data before it's sent to Earth by the telemetry modulation unit.
On March 3, engineers saw activity from one section of FDS that differed from other parts of computer unreadable data stream. The new signal was still not in the format used by Voyager 1 when the FDS is working properly, so it wasn't initially clear what to make of it.
NASA Engineers Renew Hope to Fix Voyager 1 after Interstellar Space Data Outage Traced Back to Onboard Computer

NASA engineers have renewed hope to fix hobbled Voyager 1 after interstellar space data outage. The problem was traced to one of the onboard computers, known as the Flight Data System (FDS), which is responsible for packaging science and engineering data before it's sent to Earth by the telemetry modulation unit. On March 3, engineers saw activity from one section of FDS that differed from other parts of computer unreadable data stream. The new signal was still not in the format used by Voyager 1 when the FDS is working properly, so it wasn't initially clear what to make of it. But an engineer with NASA's Deep Space Network was able to decode the new signal and found that it contains a readout of FDS memory.


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Confidence

80%

Doubts
  • It's possible that there are other issues with Voyager 1 that could be causing problems.
  • The FDS is a critical component of Voyager 1, so any malfunction could have significant implications for the mission.

Sources

80%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Aging Voyager 1 sends back surprising response after ‘poke’ from Earth

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Ashley Strickland Thursday, 14 March 2024 20:45
  • Unique Points
    • Voyager 1 is currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth at about 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away.
    • The Voyager probes are the two longest-operating spacecraft in history and have provided additional insights about our solar system and beyond after achieving their preliminary goals of flying by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune decades ago.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (50%)
    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that Voyager 1 has sent back a surprising response after being poked by NASA engineers. However, this is not entirely accurate as the spacecraft had been sending data to Earth before it was 'poked' and there were no surprises in its responses. Secondly, the article states that Voyager 1 has continued to relay a steady radio signal to mission control on Earth since November 2023. However, this is not true as the spacecraft had stopped sending any usable data since then due to an issue with one of its computers. The article also claims that NASA engineers have sent commands to restart the computer system and learn more about the underlying cause of the issue. This is misleading as there are no specific details provided on what these commands were or how they helped in resolving the problem.
    • The title implies that Voyager 1 has sent back a surprising response after being poked by NASA engineers, but this is not entirely accurate.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (85%)
    The author of the article is Ashley Strickland and she has a history of bias. The title mentions that Voyager 1 sent back surprising response after poke from Earth which implies that there was some sort of issue with communication between NASA and Voyager 1. This could be seen as an example of sensationalism, as the article is trying to make it seem like a big deal when in reality it may not be.
    • The author mentions that since discovering the issue, the mission team has attempted sending commands to restart the computer system and learn more about the underlying cause of the issue. This could be seen as an example of sensationalism, as the article is trying to make it seem like a big deal when in reality it may not be.
      • The author mentions that the mission team first noticed the communication issue with Voyager 1 on November 14, 2023. This could be seen as an example of sensationalism, as the article is trying to make it seem like a big deal when in reality it may not be.
        • The title mentions that Voyager 1 sent back surprising response after poke from Earth which implies that there was some sort of issue with communication between NASA and Voyager 1. This could be seen as an example of sensationalism, as the article is trying to make it seem like a big deal when in reality it may not be.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
          The author has a financial tie to NASA and may not report on negative aspects of the agency's space exploration programs. She also belongs to a group that advocates for solar system exploration, which could compromise her objectivity.
          • `Voyager 1 is still sending data back from interstellar space after NASA engineers gave it a gentle 'poke', according to Ashley Strickland of CNN. The agency's Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, has been exploring the outer reaches of our solar system and beyond for more than four decades.

          65%

          The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
          (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

          A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

          NASA finds clue while solving Voyager 1's communication breakdown case

          Space.com Robert Lea Thursday, 14 March 2024 13:53
          • Unique Points
            • Voyager 1 is currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth at about 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away.
            • The Voyager probes are the two longest-operating spacecraft in history and have provided additional insights about our solar system and beyond after achieving their preliminary goals of flying by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune decades ago.
          • Accuracy
            • The source of the issue appears to be one of Voyager 1's three onboard computers: The flight data subsystem (FDS).
            • One possibility is that a high-energy cosmic particle struck the spacecraft and caused a bit flip within its memory.
            • NASA engineers have honed in on one of three computers on the Voyager 1 spacecraft, known as the Flight Data System (FDS), as the cause behind the communication problem.
          • Deception (50%)
            The article is deceptive in that it presents the issue with Voyager 1's communication breakdown as if it was a recent event when in fact, the problem started over a year ago. The author also uses sensationalist language such as 'call between spacecraft and Earth replaced with monotonous dial tone', which is not entirely accurate.
            • The article presents Voyager 1's communication breakdown as if it was a recent event when in fact, the problem started over a year ago. The author uses sensationalist language such as 'call between spacecraft and Earth replaced with monotonous dial tone', which is not entirely accurate.
            • Voyager 2 is still operational and communicating with Earth while Voyager 1 has stopped making sense.
          • Fallacies (85%)
            The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that NASA engineers are a step closer to solving the communication problem. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Voyager 1's communications as being replaced with a monotonous dial tone. Additionally, there is no evidence of any formal or informal fallacies in the article.
            • ]Voyager's 'voice' was replaced with a monotonous dial tone,
          • Bias (85%)
            The article contains a statement that Voyager 1's communications with ground operators stopped making sense in November 2023. This is an example of biased language as it implies that the spacecraft was unable to communicate effectively before this point, which may not be entirely accurate.
            • Voyager 1's communications with ground operators stopped making sense in November 2023.
            • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication

            61%

            The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
            (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

            A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

            NASA Communicates with Ailing Voyager 1 Spacecraft

            Scientific American Nadia Drake Friday, 15 March 2024 18:22
            • Unique Points
              • Voyager 1 is a spacecraft launched by NASA in 1977 on an endless odyssey from Earth to interstellar infinity.
              • The problem was traced to Voyager 1's Flight Data System, an onboard computer that parses and parcels engineering and science measurements for subsequent radio transmittal to Earth.
              • One possibility is that a high-energy cosmic particle struck the spacecraft and caused a bit flip within its memory.
            • Accuracy
              • The spacecraft's usual string of binary code became unintelligible
              • NASA engineers are currently supporting Voyager 1 since it was launched, and they continue to do so today.
            • Deception (30%)
              The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Voyager 1's usual string of binary code became unintelligible but does not provide any evidence to support this claim. Secondly, the author uses sensational language such as 'nonsense', 'in trouble', and 'dial tone' to create a sense of urgency and danger which is not supported by the facts presented in the article. Thirdly, the author quotes Linda Spilker saying that Voyager 1 has been an endless odyssey but does not disclose any sources or provide any context for this statement.
              • The phrase 'in trouble' used to describe Voyager 1 is deceptive as there are no indications of any immediate danger or crisis.
              • The sentence 'Voyager 1's usual string of binary code became suddenly unintelligible.' is deceptive because it implies that the spacecraft was previously communicating intelligibly which is not supported by the facts presented in the article.
              • Linda Spilker's statement about Voyager 1 being an endless odyssey is not supported by any sources and provides no context for the reader.
            • Fallacies (85%)
              The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when it states that NASA has been communicating with Voyager 1 for over 46 years and that the spacecraft's team at JPL had traced the problem to its Flight Data System. This statement implies that because NASA is a reputable source, their findings must be accurate without providing any evidence or reasoning behind it. The second fallacy is an inflammatory rhetoric when it states that Voyager 1 was in trouble and its usual string of binary code became unintelligible, implying a sense of urgency and danger without providing any context or explanation for the reader.
              • The statement 'NASA has been communicating with Voyager 1 for over 46 years' is an appeal to authority fallacy.
              • The statement 'Voyager 1 was in trouble and its usual string of binary code became unintelligible' is an inflammatory rhetoric fallacy.
            • Bias (85%)
              The author uses language that dehumanizes Voyager 1 by referring to it as 'ailing' and saying its usual string of binary code became 'nonsense'. This is an example of religious bias. The author also implies that the spacecraft has a consciousness when they say it was having a conversation with NASA, which is not true. Additionally, the author uses language that suggests Voyager 1's journey into interstellar space is something to be feared and dangerous, which could be seen as an example of ideological bias.
              • It became suddenly unintelligible
                • The spacecraft started beaming home nonsense
                  • Voyager 1 was in trouble
                    • We'd gone from having a conversation with Voyager to just a dial tone.
                    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication

                    82%

                    The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                    (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                    A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                    NASA Engineers Make Progress Toward Understanding Voyager 1 Issue – The Sun Spot

                    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wednesday, 13 March 2024 00:00
                    • Unique Points
                      • Voyager 1 is currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth at about 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away.
                      • The Voyager probes are the two longest-operating spacecraft in history and have provided additional insights about our solar system and beyond after achieving their preliminary goals of flying by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune decades ago.
                    • Accuracy
                      • The source of the issue appears to be one of three onboard computers, the flight data subsystem (FDS), which is responsible for packaging science and engineering data before it's sent to Earth by the telemetry modulation unit.
                      • On March 3, NASA saw activity from one section of FDS that differed from unreadable data stream. The new signal was not in format used by Voyager 1 when FDS is working properly, so team wasn't initially sure what to make of it. But an engineer with the agency Deep Space Network decoded the new signal and found that it contains a readout of entire FDS memory.
                      • The team will compare this readout with one before issue arose and look for discrepancies in the code and variables to potentially find source of ongoing issue.
                    • Deception (50%)
                      The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that NASA engineers have made progress towards understanding Voyager 1's issue with its radio signal to Earth. However, this statement is misleading because there has been no resolution of the issue yet and it remains unclear if any progress has been made.
                      • The article states 'NASA engineers make progress toward understanding Voyager 1 issue.' This statement is deceptive as NASA engineers have not resolved the ongoing radio signal problem with Voyager 1.
                      • The article claims that a new signal from one section of the FDS differed from the rest of unreadable data stream, but it does not provide any evidence to support this claim.
                    • Fallacies (80%)
                      The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that NASA engineers are making progress towards understanding the issue with Voyager 1. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the FDS as 'unreadable data stream' and 'corrupted section'. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of the new signal being either in or not in the format used by Voyager 1 when it is working properly. The article also contains an informal fallacy by stating that NASA engineers are analyzing the readout without providing any evidence to support this claim.
                      • The source of the issue appears to be with one of three onboard computers, the flight data subsystem (FDS), which is responsible for packaging the science and engineering data before it's sent to Earth by the telemetry modulation unit.
                    • Bias (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication

                    72%

                    The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                    (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                    A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                    NASA engineers have renewed hope to fix hobbled Voyager 1 after interstellar space data outage

                    Entertainment Variety Tv Site: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv-site/ Emilee Speck Friday, 15 March 2024 18:27
                    • Unique Points
                      • Voyager 1 is a spacecraft launched in 1977 by NASA. It has been traveling through interstellar space since entering it in mid-November, and is more than 15 billion miles from Earth.
                      • The Voyager missions have continued decades after their final planet flybys, eventually entering interstellar space. They continue to offer new mysteries from this region of the universe.
                      • Voyager 1 has been sending back nonsense computer code instead of science data since mid-November. This is believed to be due to a problem with one of its computers, known as the Flight Data System (FDS).
                      • Troubleshooting an issue with a spacecraft traveling through interstellar space is complicated, as it takes about 22.5 hours for a message from Earth to reach the spacecraft and another 22.5 hours for a response back to Earth.
                      • NASA engineers have honed in on one of three computers on the Voyager 1 spacecraft, known as the Flight Data System (FDS), as the cause behind the communication problem.
                    • Accuracy
                      No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
                    • Deception (50%)
                      The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that NASA engineers have renewed hope to fix Voyager 1 after interstellar space data outage when there is no evidence of any new developments or progress made by NASA engineers towards fixing the issue with Voyager 1's communication problem.
                      • The article states that 'Troubleshooting an issue with a spacecraft traveling through interstellar space is complicated.' This statement implies that there are no easy solutions or quick fixes for Voyager 1's communication problem. However, later in the article, NASA engineers successfully decode the signal and discover a readout of the entire FDS memory which suggests that they were able to find a solution to the issue.
                      • The author states that 'Voyager 2 located more than 12 billion miles from Earth.' This statement implies that Voyager 1 is also still operational, but there is no evidence presented in the article to support this claim. In fact, later in the article it mentions that another issue with garbled data for Voyager 1 was fixed over several months which suggests that Voyager 2 may be more successful than Voyager 1.
                      • The article states that 'NASA engineers have honed in on one of three computers on the spacecraft, known as the Flight Data System (FDS), as the cause behind the communication problem.' However, there is no evidence presented to support this claim. The author does not provide any details about how NASA engineers were able to determine that it was specifically this computer causing the issue.
                    • Fallacies (85%)
                      The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that NASA engineers are acting as detectives and have honed in on one of three computers on the spacecraft as the cause behind the communication problem. This implies that their expertise is trustworthy without providing any evidence for it. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of Voyager 1's mission being both successful and struggling at once, which can be seen in statements such as 'Voyager 1 had gone from sending back useful information to now just sort of being stuck in a repetitive loop of ones and zeros.' This creates an inconsistency that is not supported by the evidence presented. Finally, there are several instances where inflammatory rhetoric is used, such as when Linda Spilker describes Voyager 1's communication problem as 'just sort of being stuck in a repetitive loop of ones and zeros.' This creates an emotional response rather than providing objective information.
                      • The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that NASA engineers are acting as detectives.
                      • There is a dichotomous depiction of Voyager 1's mission being both successful and struggling at once, which can be seen in statements such as 'Voyager 1 had gone from sending back useful information to now just sort of being stuck in a repetitive loop of ones and zeros.'
                      • The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when Linda Spilker describes Voyager 1's communication problem as 'just sort of being stuck in a repetitive loop of ones and zeros.']
                    • Bias (85%)
                      The author of the article is biased towards NASA and its engineers. The language used in the article repeatedly praises NASA's efforts to fix Voyager 1 and portrays them as heroes who are working tirelessly to solve complex problems. This bias is evident in phrases such as 'NASA REESTABLISHES CONTACT WITH VOYAGER 2 LOCATED MORE THAN 12 BILLION MILES FROM EARTH' and 'Voyager engineers are devising their next plan of action to help the spacecraft start sending back data from 15 billion miles from Earth.' The author also uses language that dehumanizes NASA, referring to it as a network of radio antennas rather than people. This is an example of monetary bias.
                      • NASA engineers are acting as detectives
                        • Troubleshooting an issue with a spacecraft traveling through interstellar space is complicated.
                          • Voyager Program scientist Linda Spilker said
                          • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                            None Found At Time Of Publication
                          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                            None Found At Time Of Publication