【Watch Fast Five Online】

The Watch Fast Five OnlineVoyager 1 spacecraft is sending back some funky data from interstellar space that's leaving NASA engineers scratching their heads.

Readouts on the orientation of the 1970s-era space probe now appear to be randomly generated or don't reflect any possible scenario the spacecraft could be in, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory officials said this week.

The problematic data are coming from the so-called "attitude articulation and control system," or AACS, the onboard equipment that measures, reports, and changes the position of the vehicle in space. The system keeps an antenna pointed at Earth, which allows it to send data home.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Far-flung Voyager 1 thrusters come to life after almost 40 years of disuse

• It took a lot of work to launch humanity’s greatest message into space

• The interstellar dream is dying

• NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft is now flying through the stars

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The new bizarre situation calls into question the future for the long-duration mission. Given that Voyager 1 continues to return data from its science instruments, all signs suggest the controls are still working, though the data doesn't make sense, the U.S. space agency said. It otherwise seems to be functioning normally.

"A mystery like this is sort of par for the course at this stage of the Voyager mission," said Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyager 1 and 2 in a NASA statement released Wednesday.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"A mystery like this is sort of par for the course at this stage of the Voyager mission."

Both Voyager 1 and 2 are almost 45 years old, which is far beyond their original life expectancy. Interstellar space is a high-radiation environment that no spacecraft has ever flown in before, she said, so surprises are almost expected to arise.

Voyager 1 is 14.5 billion miles from Earth. That means light takes 20 hours and 33 minutes to travel that distance. In other words, the lag between getting a message to Voyager and receiving a response is about two days.

"There are some big challenges for the engineering team," Dodd said. "But I think if there's a way to solve this issue with the [telemetry], our team will find it."

Voyager 1 has been exploring the solar system since 1977, along with its counterpart, Voyager 2. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Voyager 1 has been exploring the solar system since 1977, along with its counterpart, Voyager 2. They were originally intended to study Jupiter and Saturn, their moons, and Saturn's rings. For the two-planet mission, they were built to last just five years.

With their initial success, engineers doubled the missions' objectives to include two more giant planets, Uranus and Neptune. Between the two, the spacecraft have explored four planets, 48 moons, and a host of planetary magnetic fields and rings.

The spacecraft generate about 4 fewer watts of power annually, limiting the number of systems they can operate. The mission team has turned off equipment to reserve power. No science instruments have been powered down yet. The goal is to keep the Voyagers running beyond 2025, according to NASA.

• Shopping
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Tech
• Life
• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Games

• The Dark Side of the Jazz Age
• Known environmental menace, Australia gets the award it deserves
• The 'You're The Worst' finale will emotionally destroy you
• Researchers are using drones and AI to count dugongs in the ocean
• Letters and Fists
• Workers in Sweden can now report mansplaining using a dedicated hotline
• The House GOP just took the whitest selfie ever
• 7 short online classes you can take (and finish) on your lunch break
• PEP in Your Step
• Donald Trump's press

• Two new signs that Nintendo is paving the way for esports
• This BBC weather presenter just busted out a total mic drop of a pun
• Chrissy Teigen and John Legend had a bit of 'toilet trouble' after the Grammys
• NFL star takes his battle to website's Twitter mentions after post
• Teen becomes talk of the neighborhood when taquito gets confused for cigar
• Chrissy Teigen died and went to heaven watching Beyoncé at the Grammys
• Brits are a bunch of Netflix cheaters and they're not even sorry
• I waited in the snow for several hours to buy stuff with Kylie Jenner's face on it
• The NBA banned being jerks on Twitter, so now teams are being obnoxiously nice to each other
• 12 literal last

• He, Robot
• Play 'Zelda' IRL with an 'escape room'
• Some other dude named Mike Pence is owning his @mikepence Twitter handle
• Workers in Sweden can now report mansplaining using a dedicated hotline
• Life and Dream
• Airbnb Trips app books your whole travel experience
• Facebook's Safety Check feature now rests solely in the hands of its users
• 7 short online classes you can take (and finish) on your lunch break
• Low, Dishonest Days
• Watch young Spice Girls sledge dude for sexism 'cos girl power will never die

• My Enemies Defeated Me / For Nothing
• Inmates at an Alabama prison made their own #MannequinChallenge
• Here's all the info J.K. Rowling shared about American magic that you totally forgot about
• China rolls its eyes at Trump over his ridiculous climate change claim
• Revolt of the Super-Employees
• No, Apple isn't spying on your iPhone call history
• Bernie Sanders demands Trump kick 'racist' Bannon to the curb
• Researchers are using drones and AI to count dugongs in the ocean
• Deeper in Debt
• Grandma invites wrong teen to Thanksgiving, now every teen wants to come