Today we will discuss about another exciting space program: Voyager Program. The first part of this series will be an introductory one.
What?
It is an American scientific program that employs two robotic probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The Voyagers now explore the outer boundary of the heliosphere in interstellar space; their mission has been extended three times and they continue to transmit useful scientific data.
Important facts about Voyager Program
- Voyager 2 was the first to be launched. Its trajectory was designed to allow flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
- Voyager 1 was launched after Voyager 2, but along a shorter and faster trajectory that was designed to provide an optimal flyby of Saturn’s moon Titan, which was known to be quite large and to possess a dense atmosphere.
- Neither Uranus nor Neptune has been visited by a probe other than Voyager 2.
- On 25 August 2012, data from Voyager 1 indicated that it had become the first man-made object to enter interstellar space, traveling “further than anyone, or anything, in history”.
- On 5 November 2018, data from Voyager 2 indicated that it also had entered interstellar space.
- There are two phonograph records aboard both Voyager spacecraft, they are called as ‘Voyager Golden Records’. The records contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form who may find them.
Source for all images: NASA
The next article will be an in-depth understanding of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.
