I guess this is the first space mission that doesn't have any consoles or even a desk with a little sign saying "Voyager Flight Control."
Does it at least have a P.O. box at NASA?
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3$\begingroup$ At the University of Iowa in 2014 I saw an old desktop computer that was connected to Voyager. $\endgroup$gerrit– gerrit2024-09-26 14:55:47 +00:00Commented Sep 26, 2024 at 14:55
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$\begingroup$ I presume there are any number of missions that no longer have a console or desk since they are defunct. Not quite sure exactly what you are asking here. $\endgroup$Jon Custer– Jon Custer2024-09-26 14:59:41 +00:00Commented Sep 26, 2024 at 14:59
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1 Answer
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Partial answer
At least in 2017, Voyager Mission Control was a cubicle.
Suzanne Dodd, 56, the mission’s project manager, answered the door. She wore red-framed glasses over sharp blue eyes, and her fair hair was cut short. She escorted me past the vestibule to a common room ringed by office doors. Hanging over the cubicle partitions in the center was a shingle that read ‘‘Mission Control.’’
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In the mission-control cubby, Medina, who is 68 and a grandfather of four, with a husky voice and a Tom Selleck mustache, rolled a chair over to two pairs of monitors labeled with construction-paper signs that read: ‘‘Voyager Mission Control Hardware, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH.’’ He jiggled a mouse, and one of the screens woke to a stream of numbers and letters describing the health of Voyager 1.
Quotes from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/magazine/the-loyal-engineers-steering-nasas-voyager-probes-across-the-universe.html (worth reading)
There's still a small team in 2024: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26275-voyager-team-celebrates-engineering-data-return/
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9$\begingroup$ Note that Suzanne Dodd is now the Voyager Project manager. I suspect the team would call her should any key decision need to be made. I doubt there's a need for a Flight Director for a vehicle that is passive for 16+ hours a day that is run by a rather small crew. $\endgroup$David Hammen– David Hammen2024-09-26 20:36:34 +00:00Commented Sep 26, 2024 at 20:36
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5$\begingroup$ There's a 2022 documentary 'It's Quieter in the Twilight' about the Voyager team. $\endgroup$Hobbes– Hobbes2024-09-27 09:02:33 +00:00Commented Sep 27, 2024 at 9:02
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2$\begingroup$ If it truly is a single person doing mission control, why would that single person even need a flight director? $\endgroup$David Hammen– David Hammen2024-09-27 23:53:24 +00:00Commented Sep 27, 2024 at 23:53
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1$\begingroup$ @DavidHammen it's not a single person. Both links show that there is a team. Agree about no need for a Flight. $\endgroup$Organic Marble– Organic Marble2024-09-28 00:04:04 +00:00Commented Sep 28, 2024 at 0:04