Imagine getting a wake-up arousing you from a 37 year sleep. Back in 2014, NASA engineers noticed the thrusters on board Voyager 1 have been deteriorating. These thrusters help keep Voyager 1's attenas pointed toward Earth.
NASA scientists "examined the software that was coded in an outdated assembler language" to be sure they could test the back-up thrusters, which have been dormant since November 8, 1980. They waited for 19 hours and 35 minutes, the time it takes for data to be received, to find out if their tests worked.
Last week, they found out that the thrusters worked perfectly. This will allow NASA to extend the life of the Voyager 1 about 2-3 years. The spacecraft is the farthest man-made object and the only one in interstella space.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2017-310
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