Voyager's 15 Billion Mile Software Update
📚 Main topics
- Voyager’s aging computersBoth Voyager probes still operate using their original computers, which have only about 70 kilobytes of memory. The video describes how those computers and their software continue to support the probes far from Earth. 0:00
- The latest problemsVoyager 1 began transmitting garbled telemetry about its orientation, while its thrusters showed signs of blockages caused by hydrazine buildup. With no way to clear the tubes remotely, NASA worked on a software update to address the issues and slow the buildup. 0:34
- How Voyager stores and runs codeEach computer uses plated-wire memory to store bits as magnetic states. An onboard interpreter also uses compact pseudo-code commands to automate repeated tasks and save memory. 3:49
- Sending an update across spaceEngineers write software in Assembly, with some FORTRAN, then compile it into machine code. The Deep Space Network sends the data at 16 bits per second; Voyager’s interrupt-driven computers pause their usual work to load and check the update. 5:26
- Earlier patchesA 1995 update enabled components to restart after failures and helped Voyager 1 in 2014. In 2010, another update corrected a flipped memory bit that had disrupted timing between the computers. 6:28
✨ Key takeaways
- Every bit mattersWith so little memory available, Voyager’s software has to be exceptionally compact, and engineers previously rewrote code to remove instructions for retired instruments. 2:09
- Updates can extend a missionSoftware patches have helped address hardware failures and memory errors, allowing the spacecraft to keep operating decades after launch. 6:59
🧠 Lessons learned
- Plan for remote troubleshootingVoyager’s history shows the value of designing systems that can be diagnosed and updated from afar, even when physical repairs are impossible. 1:05
- Old hardware can endureDespite nearly 50 years in space, Voyager’s computer hardware—including its wires and transistors—continues to function. 7:33
🏁 Conclusion/next steps
- Giveaway and viewer promptThe video announces a Voyager poster giveaway and asks viewers where they would send a hypothetical Voyager 3 launched today. 7:33
Transcript excerpt
0:00 In 2015, NASA put out a job posting looking for a software engineer with a specific set of skills. The person had to be an expert in FORTRAN and Assembly too programming languages from the 40s and 50s that most young graduates don't know. The job was to join the very small team of people working on the Voyager space probes. Incredibly, both voyagers still run on their original 50-year-old computers which have just 70 kilobytes of memory. It might not sound like much, but it was enough to navigate both space probes through our solar system
0:34 and make incredible discoveries along the way. Unsurprisingly, things do go wrong with Voyager's computers. Just last year, Voyager 1 started sending back garbled Telemetry data about its orientation in space On top of that, the thrusters in charge of keeping Voyager pointing in the right direction were starting to show signs of fatigue. Every time the thrusters are used, tiny pieces of hydrazine fuel get stuck in the pipes. This has built up over time causing blockages in the system.
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