Power Play: NASA Extends Voyager 2's Lifeline, But at What Cost? The Big Bang power saving operation on Voyager 2 is a testament to human ingenuity in the face of dwindling resources.
The nearly 50 year old spacecraft was running out of power due to its dwindling plutonium supply, and NASA engineers have managed to squeeze more life out of it by shutting down non essential systems and switching to lower power alternatives.
The Voyager spacecraft were designed with limited power supplies, which have been steadily diminishing over the years.