Command and control of the Voyager spacecraft

Abstract

The Voyager Mission was designed to be conducted using reprogrammable onboard computers. This decision was based on the need for highly reliable semi-autonomous operations of the spacecraft and the lengthy two-way communication times envisioned during the mission. Command and control of the spacecraft is effected by the process through which the programs for these computers are developed. While this results in a relatively passive real-time command and control function, provisions exist for intervention to occur in order to modify or augment the programs or respond to spacecraft anomalies.