At the moment, the main problem of this pair of famous probes is the gradual decline in the power of their RITEGs (radioisotope thermoelectric generators), which currently produce only about 40% of the original electrical power of 470 watts (which corresponded to about 7 kW of thermal power). Their electricity is used for two purposes: to power scientific instruments, to heat them, and to heat other important parts of the instruments in the cold of deep space.
6 out of 11 scientific instruments of Voyager had already been turned off earlier after they had passed all the goals of the main research mission, as cameras and spectrometers were simply not needed after that. But with the reduction of RITEGami energy production, the issue of the sequential shutdown of the remaining devices is already on the agenda.
First of all, scientists have to make a decision about the fate of Voyager-2 devices, as it continues to operate 5 devices of plasma complex, while Voyager-1 - only 4 (his plasma detector had to be turned off in 2007, due to the deterioration of the device). And this task is very difficult: Voyagers at the moment are so far from the Earth, as has never been the case with any device created by man, and the data of their devices are truly unique.
Besides, no device will be in working condition for a long time in such remote places from the native house as the probe "New Horizons" catching up now Voyagerov has smaller in capacity RITEG with which it can work only till the middle-end of 2030th with which it will be able to work only to climb on distance in 100 a. e. from the Sun, while Voyagers have already moved away by more than 120 a. u. (i. e., the astronomical unit is the ordinary detachment between the Earth and the Sun). Other similar projects are not even being prepared now.
Thus, around what devices should be left in the work, and what should be turned off, there are animated and lengthy disputes between scientists. lengthy discussions, scientists decided to donate to Voyager-2 cosmic ray detector, but to begin with, it was decided to turn off its heater. But despite the fact that during ground tests it was tested only for the temperature in -45⁰C, and in real conditions after the heater was switched off its temperature fell to the whole -74⁰C, it continued to work, and has been working in this way for several years!
Another problem the project engineers face is the reduced efficiency of the rocket shunting engines, which are now being tested in anticipation of the shutdown of the gyrodynes that have been responsible for the precise orientation of the vehicles so far. Thus, in 2017, the first signs of their degradation appeared in Voyager-1, which was manifested in a greater number of turn-on engines for turning the apparatus, than was required by calculations. In this regard, engineers used a spare set of rocket engines, which have not been used for 37 years. Voyager-2 now has the same engine problems, so engineers are also planning to switch to their spare set this month.
The last time Voyager-2 used them was at the end of 1989 when he flew past Neptune. Unlike the previous discussions on closing the mission of the Mars rover "Opportunity", Voyager"s popularity makes it easy to finance the project. Moreover, in 2008, NASA launched the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission to orbit the Earth, which assists Voyager research by observing the solar wind and its interaction with the interstellar environment from the inner solar system.
And in 2024, NASA plans to launch the Interstellar Space Mapping and Accelerated Particle Detection (IMAP) mission to the Lagrangian point L1, which will allow us to increase our knowledge of the heliosphere of the Sun, based on the Voyager mission. It is estimated that they will have enough RITEG power to keep the instruments running until 2025-2030, after which they will only have enough power to operate the transmitters. However, no matter when the Voyagers are silenced, the memory of their discoveries will remain in the centuries.