NASA's Voyager 1 at edge of solar system (1 Viewer)

[ThomasC]

Amazing!

You probably have more computing power in your pocket than what NASA's venerable Voyager spacecraft are carrying to the edge of the solar system.
They have working memories a million times smaller than your home computer. They record their scientific data on 8-track tape machines. And they communicate with their aging human inventors back home with a 23-watt whisper.


Even so, the twin explorers, now 33 years into their mission, continue to explore new territory as far as 11 billion miles from Earth. And they still make global news. Scientists announced last month that Voyager 1 had outrun the solar wind, the first manmade object to reach the doorstep to interstellar space.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-01-17/news/bs-md-voyager-20110117_1_voyager-stamatios-tom-krimigis-edward-c-stone

 

[Cees Alons]

I remember when it was launched. I didn't realize it was 33 years ago already.

Only at the outer rim of the (new and smaller, I soppose, because of the loss of Pluto as a genuine planet) solar system, eh?


Sigh.



Cees

 

[Cedric A]

The solar system is not defined by the planets, but by the heliosphere. Voyager has gone way past Pluto, as shown here.

 

[Cees Alons]

Aha!

Should update my cosmology knowledge.


And thanks for the link, Cedric.

(I remembered that the Pioneers stopped working, but I forgot much about the specifics.)



Cees

 

[Walter C]

I can remember when the Voyager spacecrafts reached the gas giants, and used to wonder why neither one bother to reach Pluto. I was in 5th grade at the time, and had a huge interest in astronomy then.


Surprised they are still working after all these years.

 

[BrianW]

Any bald women on the heliosphere's horizon?

 

[RobertR]

Never knew you had a thing for Persis, Brian.