40 years of interplanetary exploration

AdminApril 24, 2024

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space race

The Voyager probe became one of NASA’s most successful missions, providing important discoveries of the outer planets.

Francisco Maria

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In 1977, humanity embarked on a daring journey to the edge of the Universe with the launch of the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes. These spaceships have no crew on boardwere created to explore beyond the solar system and unravel the mysteries of outer space.

Despite the fact that Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched almost half a century ago, they continue their journey through space. exceeds all expectations in durability and performance. These intrepid explorers have stood the test of time and continue to transmit valuable data from interstellar space.

Background of the Voyager probes

To understand the history of the Voyager probes, it is necessary go back to the early 1960s. At that time, space missions were mainly limited to exploring nearby celestial bodies such as the Moon, Mars and Venus.

first planetary probes They appeared in the 1970s, and their main goal was to discover life beyond Earth. Eric Burgess, a British consultant, proposed the idea of including messages addressed to aliens in these probes, and this proposal attracted the attention of Carl Sagan and Frank Drake of Planetary Society. Voyager

First attempts at interstellar communication materialized on the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 probes.. These ships, heading to Jupiter but also visiting Saturn, carried signs with messages representing humanity and our knowledge of the universe.

Origin of the odyssey

The story of the Voyager probes highlights the role of a group of interns hired by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). They brought innovative ideas to calculating the trajectories of interplanetary spacecraft.

Figures like Michael Minovich and Gary Flandreau. proposed revolutionary concepts, for example, using the gravitational assistance of planets to propel a spacecraft beyond Mars. This idea, combined with the discovery of a unique planetary arrangement in the late 1970s, laid the groundwork for the launch of Voyager.

Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977, and Voyager 1 was launched on September 5 of the same year. Even though it was released later, Voyager 1 took a more direct routeallowing him to reach certain destinations faster.

Great finds

In 1979, Voyager 1 made a historic flyby of Jupiter., revealing impressive details about its storms and moons. The following year, 1980, he explored Saturn and its moon Titan, obtaining important data about this amazing planetary system.

Thanks to the gravitational assistance of Saturn, Voyager 1 was launched from the ecliptic plane into interstellar space.. This was an important milestone in space exploration.

In its turn, Voyager 2 is the only probe to visit all four giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. During its flybys between 1979 and 1989, it provided detailed images and data of these worlds and their moons, greatly expanding our knowledge of the Solar System.

It showed the storms of Jupiter and the volcanoes of Io, one of its moons. Also discovered rings and unknown moons around Saturn. In addition, other findings included strong winds and geysers on Neptune’s moon Triton. Planets

Exploring Saturn and Beyond

Having completed its mission to Jupiter, the Voyager probe continued his journey to Saturn, where he made even more amazing discoveries. In 1980, the probe flew past Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, and discovered water geysers that suggested the presence of an underground ocean. In addition, the probe’s images of Saturn’s rings revealed an incredible variety of structures and patterns, providing invaluable information about the formation and evolution of planetary rings.

Having completed its mission to Saturn, the device continued his journey beyond the outer planets, entering interstellar space. In 2012, Voyager 1 became the first probe to reach the edge of the heliosphere, the region of space dominated by the solar wind. Since then, the probe has been sending back data about the interstellar medium, providing important information about the Sun’s interaction with its surroundings.

Search for extraterrestrial life

The Voyager probes carry a vinyl record on board, accompanied by a propagation capsule. Contains a large number of photographs and sounds that reflect the diversity of life and culture on Earth.

It also includes maps, images of iconic monuments such as the Sydney Opera House and the Taj Mahal, pages Principle Newton and Beethoven’s score. Besides, congratulations in fifty different languagesfrom ancient Sumerian to Mandarin or Telugu.

Despite the passing decades, Voyager probe instruments continue to operate. This allowed them to continue their journey beyond the solar system.

Legacy and future

During its 40 years of travel, the Voyager probe was a testament to man’s ability to explore and understand the universe around us. Their discoveries revolutionized our understanding of the outer planets, their moons, and interstellar space and inspired millions of people around the world. Even though the Voyager probes are close to exhausting their energy sources, they are expected to continue transmitting valuable data for many years to come.