Low-energy Sunday

Voyager 1 has shut off another scientific instrument to keep power margins available. The Low Energy Charged Particle detector was observing ions, now the only powered instruments are the plasma wave and magnetic field instruments.https://t.co/zeyccvf9gO

— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) April 18, 2026

Not even the Energizer Bunny has legs like this:

On April 17, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, or LECP. The nuclear-powered spacecraft is running low on power, and turning off the LECP is considered the best way to keep humanity’s first interstellar explorer going.   

The LECP has been operating almost without interruption since Voyager 1 launched in 1977 — almost 49 years. It measures low-energy charged particles, including ions, electrons, and cosmic rays originating from our solar system and galaxy. The instrument has provided critical data about the structure of the interstellar medium, detecting pressure fronts and regions of varying particle density in the space beyond our heliosphere. The twin Voyagers are the only spacecraft that are far enough from Earth to provide this information.

I just hope they don't end up having to turn off the toilet.

<exits singing, Man, it's happenin'>