Is Voyager 1 still transmitting images?

After Voyager 1 took its last image (the “Solar System Family Portrait” in 1990), the cameras were turned off to save power and memory for the instruments expected to detect the new charged particle environment of interstellar space. Mission managers removed the software from both spacecraft that controls the camera.

Are Voyager 1 and 2 going in the same direction?

Voyager 1 is moving in the same direction as the sun, but Voyager 2 – 3 billion kilometres behind – is headed more sideways and down. In addition to the sun’s motion, particles and plasma from interstellar space might be deforming the bubble, Decker says.

Is Voyager 2 still moving?

Voyager 2 moves at a speed of 35,000 miles per hour (15 km/s). So, for a portion of the year, Earth comes around the side of the sun and is speeding toward the spacecraft faster than they’re moving away. Therefore their distances to Earth are getting closer, if only temporarily. They never change their outward motion.

Can we still communicate with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2?

Launched 16 days after its twin Voyager 2, Voyager 1 has been operating for 44 years, 8 months and 23 days as of May 29, 2022 UTC [refresh] and still communicates with the Deep Space Network to receive routine commands and to transmit data to Earth. Real-time distance and velocity data is provided by NASA and JPL.

Is Voyager 1 coming back to Earth?

Nope. They have small amounts of hydrazine fuel left and have no possible way to slow down and head back. They are traveling very fast (Voyager 1 is at 38,088 mph or 17.027 km/s relative to the sun) and have very little ability to change speed now.

Is Voyager 2 slowing down?

As you can see, after leaving Earth, the craft rapidly slows down (an example of the inverse square law), and it remains below escape velocity until its encounter with Jupiter raises its velocity by over 10 km/s. It receives another ~8-9 km/s slingshot from Saturn and another 1 km/s assist from Uranus.

How long would Voyager take to reach Alpha Centauri?

The nearest star, Alpha Centauri, is 4.37 light-years away, which equals to 25 trillion miles. Even NASA’s Voyager 1 space probe – which became the first spacecraft to exploit interstellar space back in 2012 – would take 70,000 years to get there going 10-miles-per-second.