Voyager 2 is like the Energizer Bunny

[Rick in PA]

With the recent post on the New Horizons space probe visiting Pluto, we were discussing space exploration before work the other day. I mentioned how Voyager's encounter was a BIG DEAL back when it occurred. As I remember, Johnny Carson even had it on his night show, not a show known for science.

Coincidentally, this showed up on an engineering news feed: Today in Engineering History: Voyager 2 Flies Past Jupiter
Check out the last line in the article.

 

[Mystic]

I am pretty old and I remember both Voyager 1 and Voyager II. It was incredible finally finding out what Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune really looked like close up.

Of course later on there were other spacecraft sent to the outer planets but it was not the same as those first journeys. I was really excited. I think my brother-in-law did some work on those two spacecraft.

So how far out are those two spacecraft now?

 

[Mystic]

In my opinion, nothing human beings have done in space, except for perhaps the Moon landings, compares to what unmanned spacecraft have achieved.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

So how far out are those two spacecraft now?


http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/

 

[Electrajoe]

Voyager 1

Distance from Earth
19,632,768,928 KM
131.23695435 AU
Distance from the Sun
19,737,991,976 KM
131.94032699 AU
Roundtrip Light Time from Earth

36:22:55
hh:mm:ss

 

[440Magnum]

And before the Voyagers, there were the Pioneers. I remember at one point Pioneer 10 was the most distant man-made object, and was (not all that long ago, IIRC) the first man-made object to officially "leave the solar system," which is a little vague depending on whether you count the Oort cloud as part of the solar system. The Voyagers are travelling faster and will eventually pass the Pioneers.

 

[Mystic]

That is right. The Pioneer Spacecraft were actually first. But their instrumentation did not compare to the Voyager Spacecraft and they did not discover anywhere nearly as much.

Sort of like the first spacecraft that flew past Mercury and not really all that much was discovered. But the second spacecraft went into orbit and took far more photographs and obtained far more information from the entire planet. Compared to what the first spacecraft achieved, it was almost like the first spacecraft was never even there.

But I did forget about the Pioneer Spacecraft that were actually there first. Because the Voyager Spacecraft achieved so much more. I think it was the Voyager Spacecraft that really opened our eyes to what was out there in the outer Solar System. I personally still remember a lot that the Voyager Spacecraft discovered, but the Pioneer Spacecraft are fairly dim in my memory.

 

[THE_TROTS]

https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html

Two days ago, the Deep Space Network was receiving from Voyager 2. Right now it is receiving from New Horizons.

I am too young to remember any of Voyager's planetary encounters.

The Voyager program is arguably NASA's greatest accomplishment. We are all very fortunate that the Voyager team managed to accomplish the "Grand Tour" objectives despite the program being slashed and greatly scaled down.

Long after Voyager's atomic batteries are dead, long after the Sun turns into a Red Giant and ravages the Earth, Voyager will be a permanent monument of us. I am proud to be part of a country that could accomplish such a thing.

 

[Mystic]

The two Voyager Spacecraft were two of the greatest achievements in space exploration ever. I was stunned by how much we suddenly knew about the outer Solar System after the Voyager Spacecraft went past those outer planets. It was like as if all the books had to be rewritten about what was known about the outer planets and the outer solar system.

It was like we were suddenly travelling at ludicrous speed instead of donkey speed.

 

[Mystic]

After the Voyager Spacecraft achievements I felt like as if we could achieve almost anything in space exploration. Anything seemed potentially possible, such as a manned mission to Mars.

Little did I know that today we seem, at least in the USA, to have a hard time even getting a rocket off the ground.

 

[supton]

I read an article about Voyager as a kid; it was one of the reasons why I wanted to go into engineering.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

My late dad was an astrophysicist and was interviewed on TV about '71 to explain why the missions had to be done while the planets were heading for certain alignments, etc. He also was involved in analyzing some of the data over the subsequent 20 years. Amazing stuff, well over my head.
I had no say in my career choice other than "electrical or mechanical?"

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
In my opinion, nothing human beings have done in space, except for perhaps the Moon landings, compares to what unmanned spacecraft have achieved.

100% agree. Value of sending humans in space = zero. Risk high. Cost exponential. Too failsafe engineering required. Acident = heads roll.

China/Russia will take the risks to keep costs low.

I would argue that the value of the moon landings is zero. Again...to much spent for insuring safety. Yea..we won the "Space Race"

Bear in mind..I'm thinking like an Engineer.

(Adjusts flamesuit)

 

[Mystic]

Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: Mystic
In my opinion, nothing human beings have done in space, except for perhaps the Moon landings, compares to what unmanned spacecraft have achieved.

100% agree. Value of sending humans in space = zero. Risk high. Cost exponential. Too failsafe engineering required. Acident = heads roll.

China/Russia will take the risks to keep costs low.

I would argue that the value of the moon landings is zero. Again...to much spent for insuring safety. Yea..we won the "Space Race"

Bear in mind..I'm thinking like an Engineer.

(Adjusts flamesuit)


I guess for nationalistic pride I am glad the USA made it to the Moon first with people. But anybody who reflects on it a little bit will realize there were several unmanned missions to the Moon first. Aside from having people on the Moon for historic reasons, I don't really think there was any value to having people there. The machines were able to get the job done, at less cost.

It may be centuries before human beings go as far as the machines have already gone. And for that matter humans could not even go to some of the places the machines have gone.

Having said all of this, I was really excited about the first landing on the Moon with Armstrong and Aldrin and Collins orbiting. We had been visiting my oldest sister who lived in a rented house. My father was disinterested in the space program. I had to encourage him to go so we would get home in time to watch the landing.

After we arrived home I watched the landing live. The picture was poor quality and distorted (in the live view). I think we had a little black and white TV. I was extremely excited watching the landing of the first humans on the Moon.

I can still remember after all of these years. It was a somewhat rainy day.

 

[cjcride]

It was JFK's promise "to put a man on the moon by the end of this decade"

 

[andyd]

Until there is a propulsion system powerful enough to deliver humans to Mars equivalent to a sea voyage, send in the drones. If your vehicle has only to support electronics, then there can be a lot more stuff delivered.Providing for humans takes too much space and energy to be practical. I just wish the oceans here on Earth were worthy of such exploration.