Upgrading your desktop computer is hard enough, but NASA has rejuvenated a computer that’s twice as far away as the planet Pluto. Last week engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, activated the back-up star tracker and Sun sensor on the Voyager 1 spacecraft, which was launched in 1977. The back-up systems were included in case the original navigational system failed, but engineers hope they will give the spacecraft a new lease of life as it begins to map the edge of the Solar System, where the influence of the solar wind gives way to interstellar space.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Mind
The relationship recession is even bigger for Gen Z than we thought
News

Technology
Killer robots are here – we must finally decide whether to accept them
Leader

Technology
Quantum computer quickly mines cryptocurrency while using less energy
News

Mind
How to sparkle in conversation with strangers
Comment
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?
2
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
3
Understanding anorexia’s grip on the brain could unlock new therapies
4
How to sparkle in conversation with strangers
5
Toy universe shows that time could be a quantum illusion
6
El Niño has started and the weather could get weird
7
First working nuclear clock heralds a new era in timekeeping
8
Why we should all take quantum physics extremely personally
9
Frozen squirrel scat preserves ancient DNA from hundreds of species
10
The looming El Niño could be bad – but much worse is to come