NASA’s Just Prolonged Voyager 2’s Science Mission With a Big Bang

Per Hackaday, JPL engineers have executed a clever maneuver with Voyager 2 — a 'big bang' switch that turns off two heaters to conserve power. In deep space, probes radiate heat constantly, so those heaters serve double duty: keeping electronics functional and fuel lines warm enough to supply propellant for course corrections. By powering them down, the team freed enough energy from the spacecraft's dwindling power reserve that Voyager 2 has gained an extra year of extended mission life. The same power-saving switch is planned for Voyager 1, buying both probes more time before they eventually go silent deep in space.

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