Voyager Space Missions of NASA Explained!

In 1977, NASA launched its Voyage Space Missions to the International Space Station. Searching is in the nature of humans. And man keeps expanding the scope of his search with time, but what if we search for something that has no end? Yes, I am talking about our universe, which has no end. And in which billions and trillions of stars and crores of galaxies are present. And this investigative nature of human civilization gave birth to the greatest space mission in human history yet, which is Voyager. Today, you will learn about the most amazing space missions ever performed by humans.

Contents:

1. History of Voyager Missions
2. Flyby through Different Planets
3. Voyager Technology
4. Future of Voyager 1 & 2
5. Summary and FAQ

History of Voyager Missions

In the months of August and September of 1977, the American space agency NASA launched two spacecraft from Earth. Which were named Voyager-1 and Voyager-2. Voyager-2 was launched from US Space Center Camp Canaveral on August 20. The same Voyager-1 was launched on September 5. Their main objective was to collect important information related to the planets of the solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus. The main reason for choosing the year 1977 for their launch was a favorable alignment of the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 

A golden record has also been attached to both of these vehicles. The golden record is a gold-plated copper disc, which is a phonograph record in which some of the most important images and sounds of human history have been recorded. Which reflects the journey of human history so far and the diversity and culture of our Earth. At present, Voyager-1 has left our solar system and reached interstellar space.

Currently, it is about 21 billion kilometers away from our Earth. This distance is so great that it takes about 36 hours for a message to reach Earth from Voyager-1. That too when these radio signals cover a distance of up to 3 lakh kilometers in 1 second, that is, almost at the speed of light. The same Voyager-2 is present 17 billion kilometers away from our Earth and has currently entered interstellar space. With this, it has become the second human mission to enter interstellar space. 

This distance is so great that it takes about 30 hours for a message to reach Earth from Voyager-2. Even after almost 41 years, both of these vehicles are working well and are working to send the message of humanity to the distant universe. But now, with time, both of them have become old. Their strength has become very weak, and their technology has also become very old. Today, NASA has to make a lot of efforts to capture the messages coming from the Voyager spacecraft. 

For which NASA has created many radio signal centers all over the world. Scientist Ed Stone, who was initially associated with this expedition, says that today Voyager is so far away in the universe that there is nothing except void, darkness, and a cold atmosphere. He says that work on the design of the Voyager expedition started in 1972. Scientists associated with this expedition say that the purpose of installing a gramophone or, say, a golden record in the Voyager spacecraft was a hope. The hope is that there is definitely life somewhere in the universe other than Earth. 

When another civilization finds our Voyager spacecraft, it will get a glimpse of human civilization through these gramophone records. That means Voyager is not just a space expedition but also a message of humanity sent to the distant universe. These gramophones are made of copper discs. Which will remain safe for about a billion years to come. During this time, if Voyager falls into the hands of some civilization living somewhere in the universe, So through these grammatical records, they will get the message of the existence of humanity and its progress.

 

Fly Through Different Planets

18 months after launch, i.e., in 1979, Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 started gathering information about Jupiter. Both vehicles sent very clear and interesting information about the planet Jupiter. Voyager 2 also provided answers to many unsolved mysteries. For example, before the Voyager mission, it was believed that volcanoes existed only on Earth, but the information sent by the Voyager spacecraft revealed that volcanoes also exist on the moons of Jupiter. NASA's senior scientist, Ed Stone, says that the Voyager mission proved all our ideas about the solar system wrong. Earlier, we thought that the ocean existed only on earth. But Voyager told us that Jupiter's moon Europa also has a vast ocean beneath a thick layer of ice. Voyager 2 also made many surprising revelations about Saturn.

He sent many pictures of the rings of Saturn and told us that Saturn's satellite Titan contains oceans of hydrocarbons, which are made up of ethane and methane. Voyager spacecraft gave scientists a lot of new and mind-blowing facts about Saturn's Moon Enceladus. Today, if the greatest possibility of life exists anywhere in the solar system, it is on Saturn's moon, Enceladus. It was only through the Voyager spacecraft that we came to know that there are immense possibilities hidden in the moons of Saturn. For which we need to send new campaigns. 

Also Read: Most Less Known Facts About Moon & India's Chandrayaan 3!

In November 1980, Voyager-1 began its journey beyond Saturn. About nine months later, Voyager-2 also started investigating the distant planets of the solar system. In 1986, Voyager-2 reached near the planet Uranus. Who, for the first time, sent us such clear pictures of this planet and many important pieces of information? After crossing Uranus, Voyager-2 reached the planet Neptune in 1989. Which made many shocking revelations about this planet. Voyager-2 also made many revelations about Neptune's moon, Triton. And for the first time, we came to know that nitrogen geysers are present on the moon, named Triton. 

In this long journey, the Voyager spacecraft gave us information about many important things related to our solar system and planets. And changed the perception of scientists about the solar system and planets forever. They will continue to deliver humans' message to the interstellar universe for many years. Scientists successfully completed many space missions because of the information sent by these spacecraft. Cassini-Huygens missions were sent to Saturn. And missions like Galileo and Juno were sent to Jupiter. 

The biggest reason for giving prominence to these two planets is their moons, which are full of immense possibilities for mankind. By getting information about these two planets, we can gather many important pieces of information about the solar system. These are the oldest planets in the solar system. Today, after forty years, technology has developed a lot. In such a situation, these vehicles have now become old.

Voyager Technology

Voyager was the world's first space mission that was controlled by computers. Even today, after so many years, both of these vehicles continue their journey on their own. Do your research and turn on your backup system if necessary. We still use the technology used to build the Voyager spacecraft today. Today's mobile phones and CD players use the same coding system technique used in Voyager. The technology used today to process photos on smartphones was discovered during the development of the Voyager spacecraft. However, during its long journey, Voyager 2 has had many great and unforgettable moments. But the greatest moment of the Voyager mission came when it turned its cameras towards Earth on February 14, 1990. At that time, the Earth looked like just a small blue light in the entire solar system and universe.

Also Read: Shukrayaan Mission To Venus of Indian ISRO Explained!

Emily Lakdawala, a scientist associated with the mission, says that this small blue flicker is the only place in the entire universe where we know that life exists. In such a situation, the trace of our civilization will remain in the distant, infinite universe through the Voyager spacecraft. In 2013, the Voyager-1 spacecraft set out on its lonely journey out of the solar system and into the distant universe. 

Today this vehicle is making its lonely journey in secret darkness, where there is nothing except darkness and cold. But even in its last moments, it sometimes sends us unseen pictures of the distant universe. And recently, the Voyager-2 spacecraft has also left our solar system and set out on its lonely journey to the distant universe.

 

The Future of Voyagers 1 and 2

Both of these vehicles were projected from the earth in the shape of a V. Which will go to two different star systems and give the message of humanity. Both spacecraft are equipped with molecular batteries. And soon, the production of electricity from these batteries will stop. Every year, these batteries produce four times less electricity. Suzie Dad, program manager of the Voyager expedition, says that we have to continue the Voyager expedition with great caution. Its obsolete equipment is being shut down, and the cameras on both vehicles have also been switched off. Because there is nothing to see except silent darkness in distant space. The Voyager spacecraft is being kept warm in cold space by saving electricity.

 

Both spacecraft will have to be shut down in the coming ten years. This will be one of the saddest moments for humanity. However, by then, both of these spacecraft will have completed their very interesting life journeys. Both spacecraft will always be present in space for many years to come. Perhaps some other civilization finds these messengers of humanity, and then they will be able to read the message of humanity through the gramophone records installed in these vehicles. The world of 1977 will be immortalized forever in space through the Voyager mission. In other words, the Voyager expedition immortalized humanity forever.

 

Also Read: NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter Explained!

Summary and FAQ

It is possible that any other civilization will catch one of these spacecraft, or they will fall on any planet or collide with other celestial bodies. These Voyager spacecraft will always be counted as one of the most important and amazing space missions performed by humans. We have given complete information about Voyager missions, and we hope you've learned a lot from this article. Here are the answers to some questions that could arise in your mind:

1. Is Voyager 1 still sending data to Earth?

Yes, Voyager 1 is still sending scientists information about its present location and information about its environment and what it found.

2. Where is Voyager 2 now?

According to recent information, Voyager 2 is approximately 20 billion kilometers away from our Earth.

3. Will Voyager ever return?

There is no chance that Voyager will return to Earth, as scientists don't have much control over it now.

4. Did Voyager 1 leave the Milky Way?

It is currently in interstellar space, having crossed the heliopause (the boundary between the solar system and interstellar space) in 2012. However, it will take tens of thousands of years for Voyager 1 to reach the nearest stars outside our solar system.

5. At what speed is Voyager 1 going?

Voyager 1 is moving at a speed of approximately 17 kilometers per second (about 38,000 miles per hour) relative to the Sun.