Sunday, December 19, 2010

After thirty-three years en route, Voyager one at fringe of solar system

Interstellar space is the next destination for Voyager 1, the NASA probe launched in 1977 that has reached the outer limits of the solar system. Voyager 1 has spent the last 33 years on a quest known as the "Grand Tour" which has taken it to Jupiter, Saturn and far beyond. As Voyager 1 journeys to the stars, it holds the Voyager Golden Record, a collection of noises and pictures of life and culture on earth. NASA probably had to take out a huge payday cash loans to finance the Voyager 1 even in 1977.

Voyage 1 at interstellar space almost

About 38,185 mph is the velocity at which the Voyager 1 is traveling. On Dec. 14, it is known that the Voyager 1 was about 11 billion miles from earth. The region of space called the heliosheath is where it is right now. The heliosheath is the limit of the range of the solar wind. A bubble called the heliospere is exactly what the bubble is called that has charged particles emanating from the sun for making up the solar wind. NASA scientists know Voyager 1 has exited the heliosphere and passed into the heliosheath because instruments on board measure the velocity of the solar wind, which has diminished to zero. It will only take about four more years for the Voyager 1 to go from the heliosheath to interstellar space.

Voyager 1’s Grand Tour

The alignment of outer planets was taken into account when the Voyager 1 was sent on a quest on Sept 5, 1977. Voyager 1 was prepared to use "gravity assist" which was a newly discovered theory to use Jupiter gravity in order to get more speed and be slingshot into outer space. In 1979, the 1st high-resolution photos of Jupiter were sent by Voyager 1, along with, in 1980, the 1st of Saturn. The "Pale Blue Dot" was the last picture sent by Voyager 1 in 1990 which is a "family portrait" of the solar system with the Earth against the black background. Until 2025, the probe, which is nuclear-powered, ought to keep transmitting data. Radio signals are used by Voyager 1 to get to Earth. Over 16 hrs are needed to do this right now.

Exactly what the Voyager Golden Record is

A sample of existence on the planet in 1977 will be shown with the Voyager golden Record to aliens if the Voyager 1 runs into any. The Voyager Golden Record is a gold-plated copper phonograph record complete with turntable and stylus containing data about the solar system and its planets, plus pictures of existence on earth from humans to insects. Audio includes the sound of ocean surf, birds singing and music ranging from Beethoven to Chuck Berry.

Articles cited

Universe Today

universetoday.com/81662/voyager-1-has-outdistanced-the-solar-wind/

Daily Mail

dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1338448/Voyager-near-solar-edge-33-years-launch.html

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record



No comments: