Voyager 2 is still phoning home
October 16th 2008 03:35
Some 31 years later Voyager 2 the first spacecraft to study the Solar system, Voyager’s signals are still reaching Earth. Voyager 2 was launched in 1977 followed one month later with the launch of Voyager 1. Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the massive planets Jupiter and Saturn. The Voyager twin spacecraft were launched at the right time taking full advantage of an event that occurs every 170 years when the planets are in alignment. Voyager 2 reached Jupiter in 1979 passing within 570,000 KM (350,000 miles). Images taken by the spacecrafts revealed Jupiter’s giant red spot in great detail showing us for the first time what a complex violent storm that has been raging for some 300 years could do. The images showed how the vortex was fed by enormous swirling clouds creating endless eddies. The Voyager spacecraft also show us that there are active volcanoes on other worlds capturing stunning images of the plumes of smoke erupting from a live volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io. Voyager 2 rendezvous with Saturn in 1981. Voyager 2 provided excellent images of Saturn’s rings system and its bright cloud bands encircling the planet.
The images where a breakthrough because it revealed that Saturn’s rings are made from many never before seen delicate layers of ice and debris adding to the makeup of the larger rings around the planet. The images show us a close up view of the oval features within the planet’s striated jet streams. Voyager 2 encountered Uranus in 1986 and discovered 10 new moons as well as a series of rings although faint they cannot be readily seen by earth based telescopes. Voyager as photographed a massive fault canyon some 12km deep on Uranus nearby moon Miranda.
The spacecraft hurtled passes Uranus and finally reached Neptune in 1989, voyager made a further discovery of an additional six new moons and captured spotted patterns on Trion Uranus largest moon.
The spacecraft is now more than twice as far from the Sun as Pluto. The spacecraft can continue to operate at such great distances from the Sun because it has radioisotope thermal electric generators (RTGs) that create electricity. The fact that the spacecraft is still returning data is a remarkable feat of engineering. Voyager 2 will reach the Star Sirius in about 300,000 years.
Voyager 2 NASA Image
The images where a breakthrough because it revealed that Saturn’s rings are made from many never before seen delicate layers of ice and debris adding to the makeup of the larger rings around the planet. The images show us a close up view of the oval features within the planet’s striated jet streams. Voyager 2 encountered Uranus in 1986 and discovered 10 new moons as well as a series of rings although faint they cannot be readily seen by earth based telescopes. Voyager as photographed a massive fault canyon some 12km deep on Uranus nearby moon Miranda.
The spacecraft is now more than twice as far from the Sun as Pluto. The spacecraft can continue to operate at such great distances from the Sun because it has radioisotope thermal electric generators (RTGs) that create electricity. The fact that the spacecraft is still returning data is a remarkable feat of engineering. Voyager 2 will reach the Star Sirius in about 300,000 years.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
The name Voyager, a very appt name indeed.
To think back then there wasn’t the computing power we have now, it just goes to show what human ingenuity can achieve when faced with challenging problems.Let us hope that today's world problems could use that get up and go attitude.
Carl
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Cheers
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Just about every product we buy these days is manufactured for predetermined obsolence.
Quality reliability is going the way of the DODO
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
I comes back as a super intelligent computer looking for love.
aka: Star Trek the Movie.
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth