voyager 2 recent images

NASA's Voyager probes have been traveling through space for nearly 46 years. Here are 18 groundbreaking photos from their incredible mission.

• Nearly 46 years after their launch, Voyager 1 and 2 will likely soon reach the end of their scientific mission . 
• NASA recently lost contact with Voyager 2 after sending it a bad command by mistake. 
• Here are 18 pictures the probes took over the course of their forty-plus-year journey. 

The Voyager probes are pioneers of science, making it farther into space than any other manufactured object. But now, they face a terminal problem: their power is running out.

The twin probes were originally sent on a four-year mission to tour the solar system, but they exceeded all expectations and are still going nearly 46 years later. That makes them NASA's longest-lived mission.

Scientists are now doing their best to  keep the probes going for as long as possible. They recently found a clever hack to extend Voyager 2's life for another three years and plan to do the same with Voyager 1.

But these are old machines and NASA is constantly scrambling to fix mistakes. Last year, Voyager 1 started sending garbled data from the outside of the solar system. NASA ultimately figured out one of its computers had gone dead.

Voyager 2 is now in limbo , as the agency revealed Friday it had lost contact with the probe when someone sent a wrong command. It could be the end of Voyager 2's mission if NASA can't fix the mistake, which the agency probably won't be able to do before October.

As the probes are nearing the end of their scientific mission, here are 18 images from Voyager that changed science.

The Voyager probes were designed to visit Jupiter and Saturn.

The Voyager mission included two probes — Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 — which NASA launched in 1977 within a few months of each other.

NASA took advantage of a rare planet alignment to turbocharge their journeys into space.

NASA originally built the probes to last five years, but they have exceeded that lifespan many times .

As of August 20 and September 5, 2023, Voyager 2 and Voyager 1 will have been traveling for 46 years, respectively. 

This is what Voyager 1 saw on its approach to Jupiter.

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 reached Jupiter in 1979.

As they flew by the planet, they took about 50,000 pictures of Jupiter. These blew away scientists, as the quality of the pictures was much better than those taken from Earth, according to NASA.

These snaps  taught scientists important facts about the planet's atmosphere, magnetic forces, and geology that would have been difficult to decipher otherwise.

The probes discovered two new moons orbiting Jupiter: Thebe and Metis.

They also spotted a thin ring around Jupiter.

The probe captured this picture as it was looking back at the planet backlit by the Sun. 

Voyager 1 discovered volcanoes at the surface of Io, one of Jupiter's moons.

Next stop: Saturn.

In 1980 and 1981, the probes reached Saturn . The flyby gave scientists unprecedented insight into the planet's ring structure, atmosphere, and moons.

Voyager snapped Saturn's rings in more detail than ever before.

And showed every secret that Enceladus, Saturn's moon, had to offer.

Saturn, snapped as the probe flew away, was shown in a new light.

By 1986, Voyager 2 had made it to Uranus.

By 1986, Voyager 1 has finished its grand tour of the solar system, and few out towards space. But Voyager 2 kept on its exploring our nearest planets, passing 50,600 miles away from Uranus in January 1986. 

Voyager 2 discovered two extra rings around Uranus , revealing the planet had at least 11, not 9. 

Voyager 2 also spotted 11 previously unseen moons around Uranus.

Here is a picture of Miranda, Uranus's sixth-biggest moon.

Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to observe Neptune from a close distance.

In 1989, 12 years after its launch, Voyager 2 passed within 3,000 miles of Neptune. 

Here's Nepture taken by Voyager 2, in all its blue glory.

Voyager 2 took this unflattering pic of Triton's rough face.

It captured Triton, Neptune's moon in unprecedented detail. 

And snapped Triton's southern hemisphere.

As it flew by, Voyager 2 uncovered Neptune's rings.

As its parting gift, Voyager 2 took this beautiful picture of light grazing Neptune's south pole.

This is Voyager 2's last picture. Since it wouldn't come across another planet on its ongoing journey, NASA switched off its cameras after its flyby of Neptune to conserve energy for other instruments. 

Voyager 1 had one last trick up its sleeve.

As its last photographic hurrah in 1990, Voyager 1 took 60 images of the solar system from 4 billion miles away.

It gave us the Earth's longest selfie, dubbed the "pale blue dot."

This remains the longest-range selfie: a portrait of the Earth taken by a human-made probe from 4 billion miles away. 

After this picture, NASA switched off Voyager 1's cameras to save energy. NASA could switch the probes' cameras back on , but it is not a priority for the mission. 

Beyond the solar system

Though the probes are no longer sending pictures, they haven't stopped sending crucial information about space. 

In 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-made instrument to cross into interstellar space by crossing the boundary between our solar system and the rest of the universe, called the heliopause. 

Voyager 2 was second, crossing that threshold in 2018 . The probe revealed that there was yet another  layer outside of our heliosphere.

The probes keep sending back measurements from interstellar space, like weird hums likely coming from vibrations made by neighboring stars.

Even after their instruments are switched off, the probes' mission continues.

NASA is planning to switch more of the probes' instruments in the hope of extending their life to the 2030s.

But even after all their instruments become quiet, their mission will carry on. As they drift off, they will still be carrying a golden record that carries crucial information about humanity. If intelligent extraterrestrial life exists, they could use that information to reach out to us.

This article was originally published on June 6, 2022, and is being updated with the latest developments about Voyager 1 and 2. 

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Voyager 2 Color Image of Enceladus, Almost Full Disk

This color Voyager 2 image mosaic shows the water-ice-covered surface of Enceladus, one of Saturn's icy moons. Enceladus' diameter of just 500 km would fit across the state of Arizona, yet despite its small size Enceladus exhibits one of the most interesting surfaces of all the icy satellites. Enceladus reflects about 90% of the incident sunlight (about like fresh-fallen snow), placing it among the most reflective objects in the Solar System. Several geologic terrains have superposed crater densities that span a factor of at least 500, thereby indicating huge differences in the ages of these terrains. It is possible that the high reflectivity of Enceladus' surface results from continuous deposition of icy particles from Saturn's E-ring, which in fact may originate from icy volcanoes on Enceladus' surface. Some terrains are dominated by sinuous mountain ridges from 1 to 2 km high (3300 to 6600 feet), whereas other terrains are scarred by linear cracks, some of which show evidence for possible sideways fault motion such as that of California's infamous San Andreas fault. Some terrains appear to have formed by separation of icy plates along cracks, and other terrains are exceedingly smooth at the resolution of this image. The implication carried by Enceladus' surface is that this tiny ice ball has been geologically active and perhaps partially liquid in its interior for much of its history. The heat engine that powers geologic activity here is thought to be elastic deformation caused by tides induced by Enceladus' orbital motion around Saturn and the motion of another moon, Dione.

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Rae Paoletta • Mar 03, 2022

The best space pictures from the Voyager 1 and 2 missions

Launched in 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 missions provided an unprecedented glimpse into the outer solar system — a liminal space once left largely to the imagination. The spacecraft provided views of worlds we’d never seen before, and in some cases, haven’t seen much of since.

The Voyager probes were launched about two weeks apart and had different trajectories, like two tour guides at the same museum. Only Voyager 2 visited the ice giants — Uranus and Neptune — for example.

The Voyagers hold a unique position in the pantheon of space history because they’re still making it; even right now, Voyagers 1 and 2 are the only functioning spacecraft in interstellar space. Both hold a Golden Record that contains sights and sounds of Earth in case alien life were to find one of the spacecraft.

As the Voyager missions voyage on, it’s good to look back at how they captured our solar system before leaving it.

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Voyager 2 bounces back from glitch in interstellar space

The venerable NASA spacecraft is gathering science data again.

Voyager 2 is taking the measure of its exotic surroundings once again.

On Jan. 25, the venerable probe, which has been exploring interstellar space since November 2018, failed to execute a spin maneuver as intended. As a result, two onboard systems remained on longer than planned, sucking up so much energy that Voyager 2 automatically shut off its science instruments .

Mission team members expressed confidence at the time that they could troubleshoot the problem, and their confidence has been borne out: Voyager 2's science gear is back up and running, NASA announced Wednesday (Feb. 5).

Related: Photos from NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 probes  

"Mission operators report that Voyager 2 continues to be stable and that communications between Earth and the spacecraft are good," agency officials wrote in a mission update yesterday . "The spacecraft has resumed taking science data, and the science teams are now evaluating the health of the instruments following their brief shut-off."

Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, launched a few weeks apart in 1977 to perform an unprecedented "grand tour" of the outer solar system. Both spacecraft conducted flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, revealing a great deal about the solar system's two biggest planets. Voyager 2 then zoomed past Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989; the probe remains the only craft to have gotten up-close looks at either of these "ice giants."

And both Voyagers just kept on flying, entering extended interstellar missions. Voyager 1 popped free into interstellar space in August 2012, and its twin followed suit six years later. 

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The two spacecraft are still going strong after more than 42 years in space, but they can't keep up their pioneering work forever. The radioisotope thermoelectric generators that power the Voyagers are running low on juice and will likely be tapped out by the mid-2020s, NASA officials have said.

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are currently about 13.8 billion miles (22.2 billion kilometers) and 11.5 billion miles (13.5 billion km) from Earth, respectively. It takes more than 17 hours for light to travel from Earth to Voyager 2, meaning that mission team members have to wait a day and a half to see if their commands work.

• Voyager at 40: 40 photos from NASA's epic 'grand tour' mission  
• What spacecraft will enter interstellar space next?  
• Voyager 2 went interstellar the same day a probe touched the sun

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook . 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with  Space.com  and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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Admin said: Voyager 2 is taking science data again after a glitch knocked the probe offline in late January. Voyager 2 bounces back from glitch in interstellar space : Read more

• David Slu Interesting article, but 11.5 billion miles doesn't equal 13.5 billion km Reply
• Dwight Huth NASA should send software updates to Voyager II that would include the newest Machine Learning algorithms. Reply

rod said: "The two spacecraft are still going strong after more than 42 years in space, but they can't keep up their pioneering work forever. The radioisotope thermoelectric generators that power the Voyagers are running low on juice and will likely be tapped out by the mid-2020s, NASA officials have said. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are currently about 13.8 billion miles (22.2 billion kilometers) and 11.5 billion miles (13.5 billion km) from Earth, respectively. It takes more than 17 hours for light to travel from Earth to Voyager 2, meaning that mission team members have to wait a day and a half to see if their commands work." Nice going Voyager 2, no solar powered space probe here :)

Dwight Huth said: NASA should send software updates to Voyager II that would include the newest Machine Learning algorithms.

• View All 6 Comments

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After a 12.3 billion-mile 'shout,' NASA regains full contact with Voyager 2

Emily Olson

Ayana Archie

A NASA image of one of the twin Voyager space probes. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory lost contact with Voyager 2 on July 21 after mistakenly pointing its antenna 2 degrees away from Earth. On Friday, contact was fully restored. NASA/Getty Images hide caption

A NASA image of one of the twin Voyager space probes. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory lost contact with Voyager 2 on July 21 after mistakenly pointing its antenna 2 degrees away from Earth. On Friday, contact was fully restored.

Talk about a long-distance call.

NASA said it resumed full communications with the Voyager 2 on Friday after almost two weeks of silence from the interstellar spacecraft.

The agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said a series of ground antennas, part of the Deep Space Network, registered a carrier signal from Voyager 2 on Tuesday. However, the signal was too faint.

A Deep Space Network facility in Australia then sent "the equivalent of an interstellar 'shout' " to the Voyager 2 telling it to turn its antenna back toward Earth. The signal was sent more than 12.3 billion miles away and it took 37 hours to get a response from the spacecraft, NASA said.

Scientists received a response at about 12:30 a.m. ET Friday. Voyager 2 is now operating normally, returning science and telemetry data, and "remains on its expected trajectory," NASA said.

NASA said Friday that it lost contact with Voyager 2 on July 21 after "a series of planned commands" inadvertently caused the craft to turn its antenna 2 degrees away from the direction of its home planet.

NASA is keeping Voyager 2 going until at least 2026 by tapping into backup power

What might seem like a slight error had big consequences: NASA previously said it wouldn't be able to communicate with the craft until October, when the satellite would go through one of its routine repositioning steps.

"That is a long time to wait, so we'll try sending up commands several times" before October, program manager Suzanne Dodd told The Associated Press.

These are the 4 astronauts who'll take a trip around the moon next year

Even if Voyager 2 had failed to reestablish communications until fall, the engineers expected it to stay moving on its planned trajectory on the edge of the solar system.

Voyager 2 entered interstellar space in November 2018 — more than 40 years since it launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. To this day, Voyager 2 remains one of only two human-made objects to ever operate outside the heliosphere, which NASA defines as "the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields generated by the Sun."

Its primary mission was to study the outer solar system, and already, Voyager 2 has proved its status as a planetary pioneer . Equipped with several imaging instruments, the spacecraft is credited with documenting the discovery of 16 new moons, six new rings and Neptune's "Great Dark Spot."

Voyager 2 Bids Adieu To The Heliosphere, Entering Interstellar Space

Voyager 2 is also carrying some precious cargo, like a message in a bottle, should it find itself as the subject of another world's discovery: a golden record containing a variety of natural sounds, greetings in 55 languages and a 90-minute selection of music.

Last month's command mix-up foreshadows the craft's inevitable end an estimated three years from now.

"Eventually, there will not be enough electricity to power even one instrument," reads a NASA page documenting the spacecraft's travels . "Then, Voyager 2 will silently continue its eternal journey among the stars."

Meanwhile, Voyager 2's sister spacecraft, Voyager 1, is still broadcasting and transmitting data just fine from a slightly farther vantage point of 15 billion miles away.

Correction Aug. 3, 2023

A previous version of this article implied that Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 2018 when, in fact, the spacecraft concluded its encounter with the planet and started heading toward Neptune in 1986. Voyager 2 entered interstellar space in November 2018.

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Full recap of the second and third days of the 2024 French Open

French Open 2024 day 3 — scores, start times, TV, key matches

• Djokovic (1) advances in straight sets
• Wins for Sabalenka (2), Rybakina (4), Keys (14) after rain delays
• Fritz (12), De Minaur (11), Ruud (7), Etcheverry (28) through
• Retiring French favourite Cornet loses against Zheng (7)
• Rune (13) eliminates last remaining British man Evans

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Bublik moves on

Alexander Bublik (19) has beaten France's Gregoire Barrere in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. Next up he'll face Jan-Lennard Struff on Thursday, seeking to advance to the third round of the French Open for the first time in his career.

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Kokkinakis wins battle of Australians

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In a matchup of men from Down Under, Thanasi Kokkinakis has prevailed over Alexei Popyrin in a five-set marathon 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Kokkinakis gets a favorable draw in the second round, going up against qualifier Giulio Zeppieri after he upset Adrian Mannarino (22) earlier today.

Kokkinakis, 28, will be looking to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for just the third time in his career.

British contingent wiped out

And King Charles III wept, for there were no more British singles players left in the French Open.

The country's last remaining woman, Katie Boulter (26), got off to a good start today, taking the first set against Paula Badosa 6-4. But her Spanish opponent roared back to take the next two 7-5, 6-4 and thus the match.

Boulter's loss coupled with Dan Evans ' elimination at the hands of Holger Rune (13) earlier today leaves Great Britain without a single player in the second round.

Djokovic advances

Novak Djokovic (1) has beaten Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The defending French Open champion secured the first break of the third set in the final game, clinching the match on a double fault by his French opponent.

The world No. 1 will face Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round on Thursday.

Around the grounds

• Roberto Carballes Baena has beaten Constant Lestienne in four sets 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
• Gregoire Barrere (19) has taken the first set 6-4 against Alexander Bublik but finds himself down a break early in the second.
• Katie Boulter (26) won the first set against Paula Badosa and was up a break in the second, but Badosa came back to force a decisive third set.

He can't keep getting away with this!

If you were to devise a Novak Djokovic bingo card that nobody wanted to use because it's too long, it would have an entry like this:

"Djokovic looks deceptively ropey in one set against a lower-ranked, talented opponent, before turning on the afterburners in a tiebreak and making you wonder what was going on for the 12 games prior."

Djokovic hoping to conserve his energy

Novak Djokovic (1) raises his arm to the skies after winning the second set. Big moment for him, he really doesn't want to get dragged into a long match here.

Djokovic wins second set

Novak Djokovic (1) dominated the tiebreak, winning 7-3 to take a two-set lead over Pierre-Hugues Herbert .

Elsewhere, Tallon Griekspoor (26) has finished off American Mackenzie McDonald , winning 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.

Djokovic's second set goes to tiebreak

After both Novak Djokovic (1) and Pierre-Hugues Herbert opened the second set by each breaking the other's serve, there were no more breaks the rest of the set.

We're now into a tiebreak, with Djokovic looking to take a two-set lead.

• David Goffin has won a five-setter against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3.
• After dropping the first set 4-6, Giulio Zeppieri quickly swept through the next three 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 to upset Frenchman Adrian Mannarino (22).
• Luciano Darderi has beaten Rinky Hijikata in straight set 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-1.
• Britain's Katie Boulter has won her opening set against Paula Badosa 6-4.

Great Britain's last hope

With Dan Evans eliminated, Katie Boulter is the last remaining British player in either of the singles draws.

Her match against Paula Badosa , the final women's contest of the day, has just gotten underway.

Breaks aplenty in Djokovic's second set

After winning the first set against Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, Novak Djokovic (1) began the second set by immediately securing a break.

But a twist! His French opponent answered in kind, breaking him right back to level the second set at 1-1.

Djokovic takes first set, Rune advances

• Novak Djokovic (1) has taken just 37 minutes to win his opening set 6-4 against Pierre-Hugues Herbert .
• Holger Rune (13) has eliminated the last remaining British man Dan Evans , winning in straight sets by a score of 6-4 in each.
• Victoria Azarenka (19) has dominated Nadia Podoroska , winning 6-1, 6-0.
• Sloane Stephens has been swept off the court by Yulia Putintseva , losing 6-1, 6-2. This is the American's first time losing in the first round at Roland Garros since her first appearance there in 2011.
• Flavio Cobolli has beaten Hamad Medjedovic in four sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3.

Scores update

• Victoria Azarenka (19) has taken the first set against Nadia Podoroska 6-1, while Sloane Stephens has lost the first set against Yulia Putintseva by the same score.
• Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has forced a fifth set against David Goffin , winning the fourth set in a tiebreak 7-4.
• After winning the first set, Adrian Mannarino (22) has dropped the next two against Giulio Zeppieri .
• Tallon Griekspoor (26) now leads two sets to zero against American Mackenzie McDonald .
• Mayar Sherif has beaten Yuan Yue 6-1, 6-3.

Looking ahead to day 4

Wednesday's schedule at Roland Garros has been released, so let's take a look at the most prominent matches.

The day session on Court Philippe-Chatrier features American Sofia Kenin vs French native Caroline Garcia (21), Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs Jesper de Jong , and a monster matchup between a pair of four-time Grand Slam winners in Iga Swiatek (1) and Naomi Osaka .

The night session sees Jannik Sinner (2) take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet .

Elsewhere on Lenglen, Stefanos Tsitsipas (9), Ons Jabeur (8), Andrey Rublev (6) and Coco Gauff (3) are all in action.

Djokovic gets his 2024 French Open underway

Tonight's marquee match on Court Philippe-Chatrier between Novak Djokovic (1) and Pierre-Hugues Herbert has just begun, the Frenchman serving first.

Elsewhere, Holger Rune (13) has taken a two-set lead against Dan Evans , the last remaining British man in the tournament.

Around the grounds – Women's scores

• American Emma Navarro (22) finished off her match against Zeynep Sonmez , winning 6-2, 6-0
• Her compatriot Emina Bektas was less fortunate, falling in straight sets to Mirra Andreeva
• Moyuka Uchijima has beaten Irene Burillo Escorihuela in dominant fashion, winning 6-1, 6-1
• Mayar Sherif has taken the first set against Yuan Yue 6-1
• Sara Errani is up a break in the first set against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
• Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka (19) vs Nadia Podoroska and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens vs Yulia Putintseva have just gotten underway

Around the grounds – Men's scores

• Jan-Lennard Struff has beaten Roman Andres Burruchaga in straight sets
• Adrian Mannarino (22) took the first set against Giulio Zeppieri but finds himself down a break in the second
• Tallon Griekspoor (26) and American Mackenzie McDonald are on serve in the first set
• David Goffin has bounced back from losing the first set to take the next two against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
• Roberto Carballes Baena has taken the first set against Constant Lestienne , while Luciano Darderi has done likewise against Rinky Hijikata
• In a battle of Australians Alexei Popyrin has taken the first set against Thanasi Kokkinakis
• Flavio Cobolli has taken the first two sets and is on serve in the third against Hamad Medjedovic

Rune adds a break to his set lead

This is pretty competitive from Dan Evans but it's Holger Rune (13) who keeps finding the answers at crucial points.

That case in point being the fifth game of the second set, where Rune earns two break points and pockets the second from Evans’ unforced error.

Rune then consolidates at the second time of asking to hold his own serve, and the Dane now leads 6-4, 4-2* in the second.

Hunter Biden's laptop could be used as evidence in federal gun charges trial: What to know

Prosecutors in Hunter Biden's federal gun trial plan to introduce materials from his infamous laptop.

President Joe Biden's son is on trial for three felony gun charges over whether he lied about being addicted to drugs when he bought a gun in 2018.

Biden's laptop and its contents have been a point of controversy since October 2020, weeks before the contested election, when Donald Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani turned it over to police and the New York Post.

The laptop eventually led to aggressive House investigations into President Joe Biden . But its more salacious contents, including explicit photos and videos of Hunter Biden, have continuously stoked the fire of controversy.

Its reemergence in court echoes the sordid tales that came out of former Trump's hush money trial, where porn star Stormy Daniels testified on her alleged sexual encounter with Trump a decade before the 2016 election. Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up the hush money payment Daniels' received to keep that story out of the public conversation.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Here is what to know about Biden's laptop:

Hunter Biden trial live updates: A gun, drugs and emotional testimony

Laptop left at repair shop in 2019, never to be picked up

John Paul Mac Isaac , the owner of The Mac Shop in Wilmington, Delaware , said a man identifying himself as Hunter Biden brought in three liquid-damaged laptops in April 2019.

One laptop was left behind , and Mac Isaac said at the time he shared the device with Robert Costello , Rudy Giuliani's lawyer who also testified at Trump's hush money trial, because he believed it would make him safer.

Giuliani, who had been looking for information to damage Biden's presidential campaign, shared the contents of the laptop with the New York Post and local police .

Laptop contents stoked Ukraine interference conspiracy

The laptop materials were used as fodder in a conspiracy Giuliani had been pushing for months. At the center of the story, largely debunked, was that Joe Biden intervened in Ukraine while sitting as vice president to help Hunter Biden, who was a board member on Ukrainian energy company Bursima.

The conspiracy alleged Joe Biden tried to help oust a Ukrainian prosecutor to thwart an investigation into Burisma.

The laptop dump yielded an email purportedly showing a Burisma adviser thanking Hunter Biden for setting up a meeting with Joe Biden while he was vice president during the Obama administration.

Information from the laptop also contributed to impeachment inquiries of President Biden , but committees have not yet found wrongdoing . The White House has dismissed investigations as a partisan effort against the President.

More: House Republicans issue new report on Joe Biden corruption… that again offers no evidence

Intimate images released from Hunter Biden's laptop

The laptop breach also revealed photos of Biden using drugs, naked and engaged in intimate relations with other adults.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. R-Ga., displayed sexually explicit photos of Biden in a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing in July 2023.

Laptop the center of several ongoing lawsuits

In the years since the laptop's contents was published, Huntr Biden has sued several people involved .

Biden lawyer Abbe Lowell filed an ethics complaint against Greene days after the hearing, calling her actions, "a new level of abhorrent behavior.”

In September 2023, Biden sued Giuliani and Costello for allegedly copying, manipulating and distributing the records in a "total annihilation" of his privacy.

Biden and the computer repair man Mac Isaac are also amidst dueling lawsuits.

Biden claims that Mac Isaac invaded his privacy. Mac Isaac claims Biden, as well as media outlets CNN and Politico, conspired to defame him by implying the leaked laptop material was a Russian effort to meddle in the 2020 election.

In February, both sides argued to a judge that their legal claims should prevail without trial. That ruling remains pending.

Contributing: Bart Jansen

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Images voyager took of uranus.

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft flew closely past distant Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, in January. At its closet, the spacecraft came within 81,800 kilometers (50,600 miles) of Uranus's cloudtops on Jan. 24, 1986. Voyager 2 radioed thousands of images and voluminous amounts of other scientific data on the planet, its moons, rings, atmosphere, interior and the magnetic environment surrounding Uranus.

For a fact sheet on the Uranus science summary, click here .

False-color view of Uranus.

Uranus’s outermost ring., uranus’s moon miranda., true-color (left) and false-color views of uranus. january 17, 1986. range 5.7 million miles..

False-color composite of Uranus shows discrete cloud. January 14, 1986. Range, 8.0 million miles.

Time-lapse images show cloud movements in Uranus’s atmosphere over 4.6-hour interval.

Farewell shot of crescent Uranus as Voyager 2 departs. January 25, 1986. Range 600,000 miles.

Three of the moons discovered by Voyager 2: 1986U1, 1986U3, and 1986U4. January 18, 1986. Range 4.8 million miles.

Two "shepherd" moons, 1986U7 and 1986U8, with epsilon ring. January 21, 1986. Range, 2.5 million miles.

False-color composite of Uranus’s rings (from top): epsilon, delta, gamma, eta, beta, alpha, 4, 5 and 6. January 21 1986. Range, 2.6 million miles.

Rings of Uranus, including newly discovered 10th ring designated 1986U1R (barely visible below outermost epsilon ring). January 23, 1986. Range, 690,000 miles.

Backlit view shows continuous distribution of fine particles throughout ring system. January 24, 1986. Range, 147,000 miles.

Heavy crate ring seen in most detailed view of Umbriel. January 24, 1986. Range, 346,000 miles.

Best image of Oberon shows cratering and large peak on moon’s lower limb. January 24, 1986. Range 410,000 miles.

Mosaic of Ariel, most detailed view from Voyager 2 shows numerous faults and valleys. January 24, 1986. Range, 80,000 miles.

Highest-resolution picture of Titania displays prominent fault valleys nearly 1,000 miles long. January 24, 1986. Range, 229,000 miles.

Color composite shows evidence of impact scars and past geologic activity on Titania. January 24, 1986. Range, 300,000 miles.

Computer mosaic of Miranda images shows varied geologic regions at high resolution. January 24, 1986.

Unusual "Chevron" figure seen on approach to Miranda. January 24, 1986. Range, 26,000 miles.

Varied terrain on Miranda indicates complex geologic history. January 24, 1986. Range, 21,000 miles.

Voyager 2 image of Miranda taken shortly before closest approach. January 24, 1986. Range 19,000 miles.

Miranda displays rugged, high-elevation terrain (right), lower, grooved terrain and large crater (lower left) 15 miles across. January 24, 1986. Range, 22,000 miles.

U.S. job market remains hot, adds 272,000 positions in May

The U.S. economy added 272,000 jobs in May, bringing good news for workers but potentially complicating the Federal Reserve's ongoing crusade against inflation.

The data, published Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, offers a counterpoint to some employment market indicators that had shown signs of slowing as recently as this week. Economists had expected the economy to add 190,000 jobs , according to a Dow Jones survey.

“A long feared substantial slowdown in hiring has yet to show up,” Bankrate Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick said in a statement Friday.

The unemployment rate ticked up to 4% but remains historically low, extending a 30-month streak of unemployment at or below that level. And in another bright spot for workers, average hourly earnings jumped 4.1% in May from the year before, up from a 3.9% annual rate in April.

Friday's data reinforces expectations that the Federal Reserve will hold off cutting interest rates when it meets next week.

"Fed members and investors had clearly been hoping for a softer report, which would have raised confidence in the appropriateness of a July or September rate cut," ZipRecruiter Chief Economist Julia Pollak said in a statement Friday. "Instead, economic data has been mixed."

The central bank's next decision on rates is due Wednesday afternoon, hours after a fresh Consumer Price Index offers another inflation snapshot.

Despite last month's hiring gains, job growth overall this year has cooled. In the run-up to Friday's report, many economists said the steady slowdown looked more like normalization toward pre-pandemic hiring trends than a sign of an imminent recession.

On Wednesday, payroll processor ADP found private employers added just 152,000 roles in May , far fewer than expected. And earlier this week, the BLS reported that the ratio of unemployed workers to job openings had climbed back to the level seen just before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.

But the change in that figure is primarily a result of firms deciding they don't need to fill as many roles, and not because of a surge in unemployment, analysts say.

"Businesses are just not laying off [many] workers," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics financial services group, said Thursday, ahead of the report. "There's still underlying job growth," he said, even though many companies are cutting back on hiring, hours and temporary work.

The U.S. economy overall is still on firm footing. Fed officials continue to say uncertainty remains about how much longer the rapid price growth that has bedeviled consumers for the last couple years will continue. Since peaking above 9% in summer 2022, inflation is much slower but has largely hovered above 3% all year — higher than the Fed's 2% target.

A slower pace of job growth, economists say, should cool inflation further, as employers ease up on raising pay to attract workers, who in turn should rein in their spending, leading businesses to pull back their price hikes — a virtuous circle.

Already, fewer people who are currently employed are seeking opportunities elsewhere. The BLS also reported this week that the rate of workers quitting has held steady for six months, even as it's down significantly from its post-pandemic high.

It’s a sign that the “great resignation,” which saw workers taking up new roles in droves — usually for higher pay as businesses reopened during the pandemic — is mostly behind us, replaced instead by the " g reat s tay."

Robust hiring for lower-paid workers

Friday's report showed job gains in a range of sectors, led by health care, government, leisure and hospitality and a category of "professional" services that includes many tech roles.

Vanguard, a financial services group, has found hiring for middle- and high-income workers h as slowed , while lower-paid workers continue to be hired at a healthy clip. Lower-paid workers are now making more than they were before the pandemic, even though inflation has eaten into their spending power. Hiring forums show McDonald's now pays its hourly employees as much as $13 an hour, compared with as little as $10 pre-pandemic.

“We’re certainly seeing, within firms, that the hire rate among more costly or higher-paid workers has been going down,” said Fiona Grieg, global head of investor research and policy at Vanguard.

Some consolation for higher-paid workers may be found in LinkedIn data, which shows that although hiring rates are still down 10% year on year, they're better than the trends seen for much of 2023.

Applicant ranks swell

But stabilization does not mean strength. LinkedIn told NBC News the number of job applications per applicant rose 14% from November 2023 to March of this year. Over the same period, 25% more U.S. LinkedIn users marked themselves as "open to work" on the platform.

“If you’re a high-wage worker right now and you’re sitting on the sidelines, the job search may take some time,” Vanguard's Grieg said.

Tre Gripper, 32, posted to X this week to say that since being laid off in June 2023, he had unsuccessfully applied to approximately 463 roles. 

"It’s demoralizing," Gripper told NBC News. "I’ve worked really hard in my field and to keep not getting anything."

The Houston resident has supported himself in part thanks to a generous transition bonus and severance package he received from his previous employer. But those resources have since been depleted, Gripper said, and now he and his husband are planning to move to Seattle for both of their careers.

And since his X post, which now links to his LinkedIn profile, went viral — racking up more than 12 million views — he's seen a surge in opportunities.

His takeaway: "Unless someone is pushing you through, recruiters aren’t even seeing your application."

Rob Wile is a breaking business news reporter for NBC News Digital.