Both Voyager probes rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators. The nuclear power supply loses 4 watts per year as the plutonium it relies on slowly decays and its heat is converted into ...

NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have long ... But despite scientists' best efforts, little can be done about the two probes' dwindling plutonium reserves. Nonetheless, the team is still ...

The spacecraft is nearly 50 years old, having launched in 1977, and has long since traveled beyond the orbit of Pluto and out into interstellar space. The recent issues with Voyager 1 began in ...

Long before then, however — in as little as 10 years — both Voyager probes will completely run out of power, Spilker said. Each probe is powered by plutonium batteries, but they’ve already ...

The decision comes as the Voyager spacecraft face diminishing power supplies due to the gradual decay of their radioactive plutonium. "If we don't turn off an instrument on each Voyager now ...

After launching into space almost 50 years ago, NASA's Voyager probes are reaching the end ... that could generate power through decaying Plutonium-238 isotopes. Heat released by the decaying ...

Now, the RTGs aboard the Voyager spacecraft turn heat into electricity in order to power the probes. That heat comes from the decay of plutonium-238 radioisotopes. However, at this point in their ...

Each probe is powered by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) fueled by decaying plutonium-238. The RTG arrays offered Voyager 1 and 2 about 470 watts at 30 volts when they first ...

Launched between August and September 1977, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the oldest and most distant probes built that ... Each RTG contains 24 plutonium-238 oxide spheres with a total mass of ...

To do that, both spacecraft rely on three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) fueled by decaying plutonium-238. Although this provided Voyager 1 and 2 with about 470 W at 30 volts when ...