As NASA's Voyager I suffers glitch, take a look at some of the mind-blowing photos it sent

NASA recently updated about the status of its Voyager I probe, which seems to have suffered technical faults with one of its instruments. As described by the agency, Voyager I is sending invalid telemetry data, which seems to be randomly generated, thus causing trouble for engineers in determining what's happening onboard. To be precise, the trouble seems to have stemmed from Voyager I's attitude articulation and control system (AACS) which allows the probe to maintain its orientation. It also makes sure that the probe has its antenna precisely pointed toward Earth for data transfer. 

According to NASA, Voyager I, which was launched on September 5 of 1997, is approximately 23.3 billion kilometers from Earth and it takes about two days to send and receive a response from the probe. A true epitome of endurance, the spacecraft has been operational for the last 45 years and has sent vast amounts of data during its lifetime. Let us take a look at some of the many amazing photos Voyager I's camera has beamed back. 

Photographing Jupiter

(Jupiter's photograph captured by Voyager I; Image: NASA)

The photograph above is one of the 19,000 images Voyager I captured while flying past Jupiter. It started photographing the gas giant in January 1979 and finished its observations of the planet by early April. The probe was in fact launched with the intention of studying Jupiter and its neighbour Saturn but its mission was extended well beyond the estimated lifespan. Following the extension, Voyager went on to explore the icy giants of our solar system- Uranus and Neptune. NASA says that both Voyager I and its twin Voyager II, which was also launched in the same year but before the former, took over 33,000 pictures of Jupiter and five of its Moon in total. 

Magnificent Saturn

(Saturn and its magnificent rings captured by Voyager I; Image: NASA)

This photograph is not a painting but the second-largest planet in our solar system- Saturn. The gas giant and its trademark ring are visible in its full glory with two of its many Moon lingering in the dark. Just like Jupiter, Saturn was also extensively studied by the Voyager I after its encounter with the planet began in November 1980. According to NASA, both the Voyagers encountered the gas giant nine months apart.

Mysteriously icy Uranus

(Uranus; Image: NASA)

The image above shows Uranus in its true and false colour and it was captured by the Voyager spacecraft in January 1986 from a distance of 9.1 million kilometres. It was because of the Voyager twins that we were able to expand our knowledge about far-fetched planets such as Uranus and Neptune. Notably, Voyager II was much more involved in photographing the outer planets but it was Voyager I which became the first man-made object to enter interstellar space in 2012.

First close-up of Neptune's great dark spot

(Neptune's great dark spot accompanied by white high-altitude clouds; Image: NASA)

Although the focus is on Voyager I, it was its twin that became the first spacecraft to observe the planet Neptune. The probe encountered the planet in the summer of 1989 and passed about 4,950 kilometers above Neptune’s north pole. Thanks to Voyager II's photography, scientists were able to get their hands on a close-up image of Neptune's great dark spot. 

The 'Pale Blue Dot'

(Earth as observed from interstellar space; Image: NASA)

This photograph is arguably one of the most iconic images in the history of planetary exploration. It was captured by Voyager I at the request of Carl Sagan, one of the most famous astrophysicists. Sagan had asked NASA to point Voyager I's camera toward for one last time before the mission team turned off the probe's camera to save power for other crucial operations. This decision led to this image which came to be known as the 'Pale Blue Dot'. The photograph, which was taken 6.4 billion km from our planet, features the dot-sized Earth suspended in a sun-beam.