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NASA sacrifices plasma instrument at 12 billion miles to let Voyager 2 live longer


The Plasma Spectrometer (PLS) has been the eyes and ears of Voyager 2, measuring the charged particles that shape our solar system and beyond.

Designed and built at MIT, the Plasma Spectrometer (PLS) has been the eyes and ears of Voyager 2, measuring the charged particles that shape our solar system and beyond. The instrument gathered data on charged particles found in the magnetic fields of planets, the solar wind, and the space between stars. After traveling for nearly half a century, the probe’s power system is weakening, leading NASA to deactivate various science instruments to prolong its mission.

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