Spacecraft Design
The Voyager spacecraft weighs 773 kilograms. Of this, 105 kilograms are scientific instruments. The identical Voyager spacecraft use three-axis-stabilized guidance systems that use gyroscopic and accelerometer inputs to their attitude control computers to point their high-gain antennas towards the Earth and their scientific instruments pointed towards their targets, sometimes with the help of a movable instrument platform for the smaller instruments and the electronic photography system.
The diagram at the right shows the high-gain antenna (HGA) with a 3.66 meter diameter attached to the hollow decagonal electronics container. There is also a spherical tank that contains the hydrazine monopropellant fuel.
The Voyager Golden Record is attached to one of the bus sides. The angled square panel to the right is the optical calibration target and excess heat radiator. The three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) are mounted end-to-end on the lower boom.
Read more about this topic: Voyager Program
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