Where this thing is, there's no moisture, no change in temperature, no change in pressure, no bacteria, no oxygen - absolutely nothing which would cause rust or decay. They SHOULD work after 37 years!
“...Where this thing is, there’s no moisture, no change in temperature, no change in pressure, no bacteria, no oxygen - absolutely nothing which would cause rust or decay. They SHOULD work after 37 years!”
Voyager 1’s attitude control system has 16 main thrusters, and 8 backup thrusters, powered by hydrazine. There are also gryos, and referencing sensors, to allow the craft to determine its orientation and apply corrections, to keep the radio antenna pointing towards Earth.
I’d venture the opinion that the more-likely limitations here were the fuel supply, and the wear state of the gyros’ bearings. As mechanical devices, gyros have to spin to function, fuel tank seals must not leak, and valves must open and close. Structural integrity might have deteriorated after decades of bombardment by cosmic rays, gamma rays, and other radiation found in space. No machines have gone so far away, nor have any been subjected to cold-soak for so many years.
The microprocessors and their software have no such limitations - all they need is electrical power to keep going.