Voyager 1 gets lower-power replacements; contact restored after its signal was missed during two scheduled passes

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reports that engineers substituted lower-power alternatives for devices on Voyager 1. JPL expects the change to let its remaining instruments operate longer but gave no duration. Separately, JPL reported that the Deep Space Network missed the probe’s signal during two scheduled passes. Contact was restored Oct. 20, and the team had maintained communication through its Oct. 30 update.