NASA's 'Big Bang' Trick Keeps a 1977 Probe Alive in 2026
NASA just pulled off its riskiest Voyager maneuver in decades: a power-saving trick nicknamed the 'big bang' that toggles heaters and instruments in careful sequence so the spacecraft's own waste heat keeps it from freezing solid, 15 billion miles from home. It worked flawlessly on Voyager 2, and JPL now wants to try it on Voyager 1, potentially reviving a shut-down instrument and buying humanity's farthest object a few more precious years of contact before its plutonium finally runs dry.
Nearly 50 years old, running on decaying plutonium, and still outperforming most software launched last week.