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How does a spacecraft launched in 1977, now more than 24 billion kilometres away, still transmit data to Earth on less electrical power than a household hallway bulb?
https://marsdaily.com/md-q-how-does-a-spacecraft-launched-in-1977-now-more-than-24-billion-kilometres-away-still-transmit-data-to-earth-on-less-electrical-power-than-a-household-hallway-bulb/
Voyager 1 is still talking to Earth on roughly 22 watts of radiated radio power — less than the bulb burning in most hallway fixtures — from a distance so vast that a simple two-word message takes about 23 hours to arrive. The spacecraft, launched on September 5, 1977, is now hurtling away at 61,100 kilometres per hour and sits more than 24 billion kilometres from home, closing in on the milestone of one full light-day from Earth in November 2026, according to NASA figures reported by ScienceAlert.
https://marsdaily.com/md-q-how-does-a-spacecraft-launched-in-1977-now-more-than-24-billion-kilometres-away-still-transmit-data-to-earth-on-less-electrical-power-than-a-household-hallway-bulb/
Voyager 1 is still talking to Earth on roughly 22 watts of radiated radio power — less than the bulb burning in most hallway fixtures — from a distance so vast that a simple two-word message takes about 23 hours to arrive. The spacecraft, launched on September 5, 1977, is now hurtling away at 61,100 kilometres per hour and sits more than 24 billion kilometres from home, closing in on the milestone of one full light-day from Earth in November 2026, according to NASA figures reported by ScienceAlert.
