Summary:
- The Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, has successfully switched to a backup set of thrusters to orient itself, allowing it to continue its journey beyond our solar system.
- The primary thrusters on Voyager 1 had been deteriorating, and the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed a plan to use the spacecraft's backup thrusters, which had not been used for over 37 years.
- The thruster swap was a complex maneuver, but the team was able to successfully activate the backup thrusters, enabling Voyager 1 to continue its historic mission of exploring the outer reaches of our solar system.