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Voyager At Edge Of The Heliosphere


Deepwater6

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http://www.space.com/18743-voyager-spacecraft-solar-system-edge.html

 

Not much attention is being paid to this in the mainstream media, but I think this is one of the coolest space projects we have going. :) Everyday is unchartered territory and no one is exactly sure what to expect when Voyager does reach open space.

 

It's hard to comprehend the reach our star has and the travel Voyager had to go to escape it. Now that it's about to go into open space proves how far man has come in such a short time. Very exciting times.

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Yeah, even since Voyager 1’s’s famous “longest landscape photo ever”, (AKA “the Pale Blue Dot”) in 1990, these magnificent spacecraft (let us not forget Voyager 2, even if it is a meager 100 AU out, vs. Voyager 1’s 122 and signalless Pioneer 10’s 107) continue to make for good news stories, and do science for which there’s no substitute.

 

I think the main reason they get only occasional media attention is that the pace of their discoveries is so slow, and moreover, surprising. The past few years’ news from Voyager 1 has seen a series of “we’re at the edge of the solar system … no wait, there’s something more here – didn’t expect that”. No famous theorists having their lifes’ work vindicated, just a steady stream of new information is wonderful for science enthusiasts, but lacking in human drama for a general audience.

 

That an ever increasing many of the people on the Voyagers’ science and engineering teams weren’t born when they were launched is pretty cool human theatre, though.

 

I’m looking forward to a big “goodnight and farewell” party for Voyager 1 sometime in 2025. :partyballoons: :partycheers: :xparty: Just because the ship’s going dark is something of a whimper is no excuse not to celebrate it loudly.

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