One for the Conspiracy Theorists

[tomato]

Voyager 1 is sending back impossible data, no doubt aliens have hacked it...

Voyager is sending ‘impossible data’ back to Nasa from the edge of the Solar System (msn.com)

 

[iantaylor2uk]

It's clearly not impossible because that is the data they are receiving. I guess a headline that says "fault not yet identified" would not attract as many readers!

[Carbon Brush]

Well it has all been working fine for 45 years. Therefore it must be alien intervention.
That sounds far more headline grabbing than a failing electronic component, or dodgy connection.

Now if NASA had equipped the spacecraft with small cameras like those on the recent probes we would know for certain.
Oops they hadn't been invented half a century ago!

[Mr Spock]

V'ger is communicating. It would like to speak to its creator.

[maw lod qan]

22 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

V'ger is communicating. It would like to speak to its creator.

I agree. But I'm not going to worry till they announce it is coming back this way!

It might not hurt though for you to start gathering the rest of the crew!

Edited May 20, 2022 by maw lod qan

[Ouroboros]

It’s obvious what’s happened. Voyager has bumped into the dome onto which the stars are projected (Truman Show). Final proof we’re all part of a simulation. 😉

[Shimrod]

17 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

It’s obvious what’s happened. Voyager has bumped into the dome onto which the stars are projected (Truman Show). Final proof we’re all part of a simulation. 😉

It's even more obvious than that - they're probably using rechargeable batteries. They should it from mains power adapter and that will solve all the glitches - just need to make sure it is at least 13.8v

[iapa]

3 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

It’s obvious what’s happened. Voyager has bumped into the dome onto which the stars are projected (Truman Show). Final proof we’re all part of a simulation. 😉

Dyson sphere then?

I vaguely recall a book/novella where a crew moved outwards from earth orbit shell 

Does anyone else remember this, and who wrote it?

Edited May 20, 2022 by iapa

[vlaiv]

5 hours ago, iantaylor2uk said:

It's clearly not impossible because that is the data they are receiving. I guess a headline that says "fault not yet identified" would not attract as many readers!

When saying received "impossible data" - most people will interpret that as "it is impossible for such data to be received" rather than data being impossible, but there is such thing as impossible data

For example - having data that you have to look at twice in order to see it once

Or data recording consisting out of values so large that they can't be recorded

possibilities are endless for "impossible data"

 

[saac]

17 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

When saying received "impossible data" - most people will interpret that as "it is impossible for such data to be received" rather than data being impossible, but there is such thing as impossible data

For example - having data that you have to look at twice in order to see it once

Or data recording consisting out of values so large that they can't be recorded

possibilities are endless for "impossible data"

 

Implausible data not impossible data.  Sloppy (bog standard) journalism. 

Jim

[vlaiv]

1 minute ago, saac said:

Implausible data not impossible data.  Sloppy (bog standard) journalism. 

Jim

I know, I'm just messing around.

Or rather - it is very interesting to imagine data that would really be impossible

[saac]

2 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

I know, I'm just messing around.

Or rather - it is very interesting to imagine data that would really be impossible

Yes wouldn't that be something to see!  If we came across that we would know we had woken up in the wrong universe  

ps - or from before time here began, the physics beyond our knowing !!

Jim 

Edited May 20, 2022 by saac

[Shimrod]

1 hour ago, iapa said:

Dyson sphere then?

I vaguely recall a book/novella where a crew moved outwards from earth orbit shell 

Does anyone else remember this, and who wrote it?

Could be the crystal spheres by David Brin? Each solar system is protected by a shell that can only be broken from the inside.

[Astro Noodles]

I think it has run into the huge painted backdrop studded with spotlights. 🤔

[ONIKKINEN]

The most amazing thing about this IMO is:

Quote

There is a possibility that Nasa will not find the source of the issue and instead have to issue software changes or use one of the craft’s backup systems – something that has been done before in 2017 when Voyager had to switch from its primary thrusters to secondary ones because of signs of degradation.

That a relatively simple space probe launched 45 years ago "might have to" use backup systems because some glitch appeared and it somewhat affects the function of the probe. Meanwhile here on earth a modern mobile phone will be borderline hazardous junk at 5 years of use. Absolute insanity that the thing is still working properly out there!

[Felias]

Or maybe it is leaving the Slow Zone and entering the Bottom of the Beyond... 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕

[Ags]

Switch it off and switch it on again?

[Pete Presland]

I saw a quote online yesterday "amazed that Voyager is sending back signals so quick, as the solar system is a light year in diameter, how does it manage it?

A light year in diameter?, next nearest star around 4.5 light years away........ i give up 🙂

 

[Ratlet]

I know private industry is the big dog for rocket launches, but when NASA does a probe they tend to over engineer it to a point that is mental.  Voyager and Hubble are good examples.  Far, far exceeded their planned life.

[Ags]

20 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

I know private industry is the big dog for rocket launches, but when NASA does a probe they tend to over engineer it to a point that is mental.  Voyager and Hubble are good examples.  Far, far exceeded their planned life.

Congress won't pay for a thirty year mission, but they will pay for a ten year mission, the next 20 years of project life comes from budget creep! It will be interesting to see how long JWST will last.

[Ratlet]

20 minutes ago, Ags said:

Congress won't pay for a thirty year mission, but they will pay for a ten year mission, the next 20 years of project life comes from budget creep! It will be interesting to see how long JWST will last.

It's the space mission of Scotty from star trek saying everything will take 4x longer than it will so he looks like a hero when he finishes it quickly.

[Ouroboros]

13 hours ago, Shimrod said:

Could be the crystal spheres by David Brin? Each solar system is protected by a shell that can only be broken from the inside.

Yes, just been reading the plot synopsis. Spoiler. 

[saac]

15 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

The most amazing thing about this IMO is:

That a relatively simple space probe launched 45 years ago "might have to" use backup systems because some glitch appeared and it somewhat affects the function of the probe. Meanwhile here on earth a modern mobile phone will be borderline hazardous junk at 5 years of use. Absolute insanity that the thing is still working properly out there!

They just forgot to switch on roaming.

Jim 

[Felias]

9 hours ago, Pete Presland said:

I saw a quote online yesterday "amazed that Voyager is sending back signals so quick, as the solar system is a light year in diameter, how does it manage it?

A light year in diameter?, next nearest star around 4.5 light years away........ i give up 🙂

 

The Oort Cloud might extend even further than that (the classic, conservative estimation of its radius is 50,000 AU), so although they have no idea of the actual position of the Voyager, the quote is not completely bonkers. 

[iapa]

11 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

Yes, just been reading the plot synopsis. Spoiler. 

Sorry, but nah,not this one, in the one I remember there were spheres at each planets orbit