Amplified Power of Traveling-Wave Tubes

Forty-five years ago, the Voyager 2 spacecraft launched on a mission to visit the outer planets. One vital component of the craft that still works is the key to getting data as it leaves the solar system. But this piece of the now-interstellar spacecraft, the traveling-wave tube (TWT), has also become a necessary component for utilizing microwaves in several applications back on Earth. For example, satellite radio spacecraft use the amplification power of TWTs, and thanks to NASA’s help listeners have coverage over all of North America and receive better-sounding audio.