# Voyager 1 Dying? NASA Powers Down Science Instrument + Life Clues on Mars & Artemis Suit Crisis

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates-5658676/voyager-1-dying-nasa-powers-down-science-instrument-life-clues-on-mars-artemis-suit-crisis.md
Podcast: [Astronomy Daily: Space News Updates](https://stenobird.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates-5658676)
Published: 2026-04-22T10:25:02+00:00
Episode link: https://spacenutspodcast.com
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/mgln.ai/track/op3.dev/e/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71547831/voyager_1_dying_nasa_powers_down_science_instrument_life_clues_on_mars_artemis_suit_crisis_1.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1199

## Resource

Sponsor Link To check out our special NordVPN offer for Astronomy Daily listeners: Click Here Astronomy Daily — S05E90 | Wednesday, April 22, 2026 In today's episode, Anna and Avery cover six stories spanning the fading power of humanity's most distant probe, fresh evidence for ancient life on Mars, a landmark black hole measurement, a SpaceX reusability milestone, a sobering assessment of the Artemis spacesuit programme, and tonight's moon and Jupiter conjunction. Story 1 — Voyager 1 Powers Down the LECP Instrument • NASA's JPL shut down Voyager 1's Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP) on April 17, 2026, to conserve dwindling power. • The decision followed an unexpected power drop during a routine roll manoeuvre in late February that nearly triggered an automatic emergency shutdown. • Seven of Voyager 1's ten original instrument sets are now offline. Only the magnetometer and plasma wave subsystem remain active. • Engineers are developing 'the Big Bang' — a plan to swap older components with lower-power alternatives — to extend operations into the 2030s. Testing on Voyager 2 is planned for May/June 2026; Voyager 1 to follow no sooner than July. • Source: NASA JPL — https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-shuts-off-instrument-on-voyager-1-to-keep-spacecraft-operating/ Story 2 — Curiosity Rover Finds Organic Molecules on Mars • Published April 21 in Nature Communications, the study describes the first use of the TMAH chemical experiment on another planet. • More than 20 organic molecules were detected in clay-rich sandstone from the Glen Torridon region of Gale Crater, preserved for over 3.5 billion years. • Discoveries include a nitrogen-bearing molecule structurally similar to DNA precursors — never before confirmed on Mars — and benzothiophene. • The experiment…

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