Engineers have shifted NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft into a mode that transmits only spacecraft health and status data while they diagnose an unexpected change in the pattern of returning data. Preliminary engineering data received on May 1 show the spacecraft is basically healthy, and that the source of the issue is the flight data system, which is responsible for formatting the data to send back to Earth. The change in the data return pattern has prevented mission managers from decoding science data.

The first changes in the return of data packets from Voyager 2, which is near the edge of our solar system, appeared on April 22. Mission team members have been working to troubleshoot and resume the regular flow of science data. Because of a planned roll maneuver and moratorium on sending commands, engineers got their first chance to send commands to the spacecraft on April 30. It takes nearly 13 hours for signals to reach the spacecraft and nearly 13 hours for signals to come down to NASA's Deep Space Network on Earth.

Voyager 2 launched on August 20, 1977, about two weeks before its twin spacecraft, Voyager 1. The two spacecraft are the most distant human-made objects, out at the edge of the heliosphere, the bubble the sun creates around the solar system. Mission managers expect Voyager 1 to leave our solar system and enter interstellar space in the next five years or so, with Voyager 2 on track to enter interstellar space shortly afterward. Voyager 1 is in good health and performing normally.

"Voyager 2's initial mission was a four-year journey to Saturn, but it is still returning data 33 years later," said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "It has already given us remarkable views of Uranus and Neptune, planets we had never seen close-up before. We will know soon what it will take for it to continue its epic journey of discovery."

The original goals for the two Voyager spacecraft were to explore Jupiter and Saturn.

As part of a mission extension, Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989, taking advantage of a once-in-176-year alignment to take a grand tour of the outer planets. Among its many findings, Voyager 2 discovered Neptune's Great Dark Spot and 450-meter-per-second (1,000-mph) winds. It also detected geysers erupting from the pinkish-hued nitrogen ice that forms the polar cap of Neptune's moon Triton. Working in concert with Voyager 1, it also helped discover actively erupting volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io, and waves and kinks in Saturn's icy rings from the tugs of nearby moons.

Voyager 2 is about 13.8 billion kilometers, or 8.6 billion miles, from Earth. Voyager 1 is about 16.9 billion kilometers (10.5 billion miles) away from Earth.

The Voyagers were built by JPL, which continues to operate both spacecraft. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

For more information about the Voyagers, visit: JPL/NASA.

IT left Earth 33 years ago, now it's claimed the Voyager 2 spacecraft may have been hijacked by aliens after sending back data messages NASA scientists can't decode.

NASA installed a 12-inch disk containing music and greetings in 55 languages in case intelligent extraterrestrial life ever found it.

But now the spacecraft is sending back what sounds like an answer: Signals in an unknown data format!

The best scientific minds have so far not been able to decipher the strange information – is it a secret message?

Alien expert Hartwig Hausdorf said:"It seems almost as if someone had reprogrammed or hijacked the probe – thus perhaps we do not yet know the whole truth" Read more in Bild

Engineers are working to solve the data transmissions from the Voyager 2 spacecraft near the edge of the solar system, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said today.

The spacecraft late last month began sending science data 8.6 billion miles to Earth in a changed format that mission managers could not decode.

Engineers have since instructed Voyager 2 to only transmit data on its own health and status while they work on the problem.

Launched in 1977, Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, explored the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and kept on going. Nearly 33 years later, they are the most distant human-made objects.

Voyager 1 is 10.5 billion miles from Earth and in about five years is expected to pass through the heliosphere, a bubble the sun creates around the solar system, and enter interstellar space.

Voyager 2 will follow after that.

I agree, I think that most of the time, people vote for the candidate they feel is best,,,,,perhaps I am naive that way,,lol

I personaly voted for Obama because he was the best candidate out there. Imagine if we had wacky Mcain and Crazy Palin running the country We would all be singing "Bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran and comenting on Palins fashion. I am so glad most of america woke up in time to choose the best man out there.

Sounds interesting


now Im wondering how many people who vote for this inexperienced politician will have knocked OBama's 'inexperience' when he ran.



Personally, I dont think politicians have to have had political experience specifically, as long as they are intelligent, adequately familiar with the structure of government, carry themself with integrity in the public and professionalism on the job, and have worked in some social capacity. I think the proof will be in his campaign , just like OBamas was and it should be interesting to watch how things unfold.

Yes! You got it !

I have to wonder why the republicans (business class) let them in the country in the first place. One would think that way back when they were crossing the border from mexico to texas senior Bush would have clammped down. 15 million is a small number in a country of 300 million. My opinion is let t he ones here stay and close the borders to new imigration. Let the country have time to adjust and those here acclimate to what it is to be an american. I dont wish to see a roundup and police state type tacticts used to find the illegals from the legals. Just close off the border for gods sake. Many many Mexicans work hard every day and yes some milk the system but ya know what a small percent of every race and nationality does this. get a grip allready

no, Im admitting I have no way to know his intentions,, and not having much information about any quotes or policies on the matter I cant really make a guess as to what they are either...

so, am I liberal, conservative, a liberal conservative , or a conservative liberal?....lol

reminds me of what my mom told me about littering when I was younger,,,,doesnt seem like much to just throw a bottle on the ground,,,but if one person is allowed everyone starts feeling like they should be allowed, and then what kind of place where we live in?


seems giving on a short scale, but if EVERYONE starts following suit and bypassing borders and requirements to just come and stay here,,,,,,what kind of place will we be living in?


how just is it that those who follow the law can fare WORSE(be rejected entry) than those who bypass and deceive it? I just dont get it....


seriously, I think I want to go to one of Trumps home when he isnt there, slip in his back patio, do some long overdue housework that he wasnt willing to, invite my cousins and siblings, have a child and then wait for him to discover me so I can demand what he should be doing for me and mine,,,,,,because, after all, we are ALREADY there, doing the work he wont, and it wouldnt be fair to punish the children,,,,,

I think not ... the places I added to the list are ALL equally as bad as, if not worse than, Mejikkko. They ALL have oligarchic 'government' with wealth and privilege concentrated in the 'few' at the top of the pyramid. You wouldn't mind 'splaining where I went wrong, would you ... ? The other examples ARE cesspools of political and personal corruption in 'government' ... and THAT's already here ... no waiting necessary. Since 'The ONE' is doing his damnedest to destroy OUR middle class, we're rapidly on our way to becoming the same 'have' and 'have not' two-tiered class structure as the cesspools I've added to his 'list of one'.

I think not ... the places I added to the list are ALL equally as bad as, if not worse than, Mejikkko. They ALL have oligarchic 'government' with wealth and privilege concentrated in the 'few' at the top of the pyramid. You wouldn't mind 'splaining where I went wrong, would you ... ?

No mystery there? You sure aren't a very good investigator. You just pick what seems to you to be a more acceptable explanation than "aliens" and get all comfy with that and say "no mystery there."