Voyager probe 'leaves Solar System'

[Popular Front of Judea]

Puts all the present day bullshit -- Syria etc. -- in perspective.

The Voyager-1 spacecraft has become the first manmade object to leave the Solar System.

Scientists say the probe's instruments indicate it has moved beyond the bubble of hot gas from our Sun and is now moving in the space between the stars.

Launched in 1977, Voyager was sent initially to study the outer planets, but then just kept on going.

Today, the veteran Nasa mission is almost 19 billion km (12 billion miles) from home.

This distance is so vast that it takes 17 hours now for a radio signal sent from Voyager to reach receivers here on Earth.

Voyager probe 'leaves Solar System' | BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24026153)

[argeiphontes]

This is really cool. The pictures of the earth receding into just a point of light. Definitely humbling.

(vger from Star Trek comes to mind too but IRL it probably only has 2K of RAM :grin:)

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Our first ambassador to the rest of the universe. Here's hoping it's the first of many.

Since it seems likely that its sister probe Voyager 2 will also reach interstellar space while still retaining some functionality, I wonder if we'll be able to acquire enough data to make comparisons between the two probes' readings? Could be interesting.

Of course, if we're to reach the stars, then we'll need to become more familiar with our own cosmic backyard. That's why I'm looking forward to when the New Horizons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons) probe flies past Pluto (and hopefully some other Kuiper Belt objects of note) in 2015, as well as the Dawn mission (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_%28spacecraft%29) which is expected to reach Ceres of the Mars-Jupiter asteroid belt in the same year.

[EdvardK]

I do not want to derail the thread, but some other member of RevLeft would probably trash the Voyager probes as being products of filthy capitalists, helped by bastardized revisionists, and would probably quote some well known and world-immensely-respected leader of a glorious country starting on A :rolleyes:to drive the argument home.

I'm glad for both Voyager probes, I've been following their progress since their launches in August and September 1977.

[Skyhilist]

Do they have any idea how much longer the voyager 1 will remain functional?

Also, out of curiosity what's 12 billion miles in light years (probably almost nothing right)?

[Os Cangaceiros]

Do they have any idea how much longer the voyager 1 will remain functional?

I think they're going to shut down the last functioning part of it around 2025, IIRC

[Petrol Bomb]

Also, out of curiosity what's 12 billion miles in light years (probably almost nothing right)?

Just over two thousandths of a light year, I think.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

yay! take me with you, voyager :wub:

[EdvardK]

Just over two thousandths of a light year, I think.
Exactly 0.0020413ly as can be converted here --> http://bit.ly/1f7HOvL

[bcbm]

trashed spam/off topic whatever posts. this isn't chit chat guys