### NASA Switches Off Voyager 2 Plasma Instrument to Conserve Power

In a strategic move to extend the operational life of Voyager 2, NASA has turned off another scientific instrument on the spacecraft. This decision aims to conserve power and ensure that Voyager 2 can continue its interstellar mission well into the 2030s. The plasma science instrument, an essential tool for measuring the flow of charged atoms, was powered down in late September, as announced by the space agency.

Voyager 2, launched in 1977, has been a cornerstone of space exploration, providing groundbreaking data, including the only direct observations of Uranus and Neptune. Currently, the spacecraft is over 12 billion miles (19.31 billion kilometers) away from Earth and continues its journey in interstellar space - the vast expanse between stars.

NASA had previously deactivated a suite of instruments on both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 after their historic flybys of the gas giant planets in the 1980s. Voyager 1, which is even farther from Earth at a distance of over 15 billion miles (24.14 billion kilometers), saw its plasma instrument cease functioning years ago and was formally shut down in 2007.

Despite these shutdowns, four remaining instruments on Voyager 2 are still actively collecting valuable data. These instruments focus on studying magnetic fields and particles, offering insights into the regions of space beyond the protective bubble of the sun.

The enduring missions of the twin Voyager spacecraft continue to push the boundaries of human knowledge about the cosmos, contributing invaluable data to the field of space science.