IPB

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

2 Pages V   1 2 >  
Reply to this topicStart new topic
Voyager 2 DSN Coverage after April 2010, Only through the Canberra DSN ...
dmuller
post Mar 22 2009, 01:37 AM
Post #1


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 340
Joined: 11-April 08
From: Sydney, Australia
Member No.: 4093



Whilst extracting data for the "notional DSN coverage" of my realtime simulations, I stumbled over (the probably widely known) fact that from around April 2010, only the Canberra DSN station will be able to communicate with Voyager 2 as it is that far south of the ecliptic by then. At least they will get 24 hours coverage of Voyager 2! Might be a selling point to maintain and upgrade the antennas there ...

21 Mar 2009
30 Sep 2011


--------------------
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Astro0
post Mar 22 2009, 02:42 AM
Post #2


Senior Member
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 3108
Joined: 21-December 05
From: Canberra, Australia
Member No.: 615



We may have some news on that last point soon. Fingers crossed wink.gif
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
jasedm
post May 7 2010, 06:20 PM
Post #3


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 655
Joined: 22-January 06
Member No.: 655



Emily has recently posted a blog entry at The Planetary Society website, which suggests that Voyager 2 is experiencing problems with it's flight data system - I hope the issue can be resolved satisfactorily - V2 is by far my favourite spacecraft, and probably the most groundbreaking piece of space hardware ever.
Long may she prevail.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Astro0
post May 8 2010, 03:58 AM
Post #4


Senior Member
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 3108
Joined: 21-December 05
From: Canberra, Australia
Member No.: 615



It's safe to say that we are in 2-way comms with Voyager 2 after a busy week or so.
For the moment we're down to a 40-bit data rate, about a quarter of the regular rate.
Don't worry, we haven't heard the last of this amazing spacecraft.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
nprev
post May 8 2010, 04:09 AM
Post #5


Merciless Robot
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 8783
Joined: 8-December 05
From: Los Angeles
Member No.: 602



Glad you guys are keeping your ear out for her, Astro0...thanks for taking good care of our baby! smile.gif


--------------------
A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
JohnVV
post May 8 2010, 06:36 AM
Post #6


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 890
Joined: 18-November 08
Member No.: 4489



QUOTE
Don't worry, we haven't heard the last of this amazing spacecraft.

that's good to hear .

on a slightly diff note .That 40 bit rate ( 160 bit norm)

I seam to remember hearing someplace that a very OLD 1970's computer was being kept alive to be able to read the data

new computers were not able to slow down so much . and that grad students are sent out to search for parts .
true or not ?
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Paolo
post May 8 2010, 08:23 AM
Post #7


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 1729
Joined: 3-August 06
From: 43° 35' 53" N 1° 26' 35" E
Member No.: 1004



There is a JPL release on the Voyager 2 problem: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-151
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
dtolman
post May 10 2010, 08:03 PM
Post #8


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 124
Joined: 20-April 05
Member No.: 291



If the flight data system ends up being unusable (no longer able to send correctly formatted data), is the craft useful for any science anymore?
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Hungry4info
post May 10 2010, 09:15 PM
Post #9


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 1414
Joined: 26-July 08
Member No.: 4270



Maybe they can conjure up some way to use tracking of the spacecraft to probe the density of the interstellar medium.
But other than that, I can't see how it would be useful.


--------------------
-- Hungry4info (Sirius_Alpha)
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
nprev
post May 10 2010, 09:56 PM
Post #10


Merciless Robot
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 8783
Joined: 8-December 05
From: Los Angeles
Member No.: 602



I would imagine just being able to receive a signal for as long as possible from her might be valuable from a strictly engineering standpoint (i.e., as a testbed for advanced signal processing).


--------------------
A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
cbcnasa
post May 11 2010, 04:28 PM
Post #11


Junior Member
**

Group: Members
Posts: 57
Joined: 22-March 09
From: West Hartford, Connecicut
Member No.: 4691



The engineering value is there for as far as the spacecraft keeps going. Maybe with future technology data received now which might just be a signal could become useful .
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
jgoldader
post May 12 2010, 01:27 PM
Post #12


Junior Member
**

Group: Members
Posts: 95
Joined: 5-September 07
Member No.: 3662



This could be something relatively simple--a stuck bit, for example, which might be programmed around. And IIRC, the FDS has A and B sides, so perhaps ops could be switched to the other side? But of course, due to loss of expertise and limited resources, either of those could be such major operations that they'd not be done.

Let's cross our fingers and send good thoughts to the old girl.

Jeff
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
climber
post May 12 2010, 02:59 PM
Post #13


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 2917
Joined: 14-February 06
From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France)
Member No.: 682



You may be right Jeff: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1005/11voyager2/


--------------------
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Roby72
post May 12 2010, 09:22 PM
Post #14


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 121
Joined: 26-June 04
From: Austria
Member No.: 89



I remember that a few days before the Uranus encounter of Voyager-2 such a bit flip occured in the imaging subsystem, characterising as streaks in the images. The error was quickly identified and corrected. It appeared over big areas over the frames, because (IMHO) of compressing the digital information a simple bit flip could destroy more data. I remember further the bit flip was permanent and corrected mathematically in the processing.

Robert
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
tasp
post May 13 2010, 12:08 AM
Post #15


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 903
Joined: 30-January 05
Member No.: 162



Yes, I recall the 'stuck bit' problem from the Uranus flyby. We have also had cosmic ray bit flips cause problems too, and perhaps a simple replay of the current software load uplinked from Canberra (nice to know about that constraint) might be all it takes to fix the problem. The expertise at this end is also significant too. If the science data coming down can be 'unscrambled' like the Galileo pics, or the compressed Uranus pictures, then maybe the problem isn't worth fixing due to the risk of introducing another problem.

I have considerable affection for the "old girl" and hate to see her cut loose, but we must be mindful the craft has been out there for 33 years and there is a certain inevitability to the situation.

I am fascinated though with the almost complimentary flight paths of V1 and V2 moving away from the ecliptic, and wonder if this enhances the analysis and significance of the the data from both sufficiently to make a better case for keeping V2 working for as long as V1 is working too. Regarding the desirability of having an engineering model that far out, I am not sure you get as much concatenation with 2 craft as you do with the science data, but maybe you do.

Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post

2 Pages V   1 2 >
Reply to this topicStart new topic

 



RSS Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 29th March 2024 - 08:41 AM
RULES AND GUIDELINES
Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting.

IMAGE COPYRIGHT
Images posted on UnmannedSpaceflight.com may be copyrighted. Do not reproduce without permission. Read here for further information on space images and copyright.

OPINIONS AND MODERATION
Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators.
SUPPORT THE FORUM
Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member.