The dream of many science fiction writers: to break out of the boundaries of the solar system, was the first to be realized by the Americans. For over forty years, two interplanetary space stations have been flying in airless space, transmitting unique scientific data to Earth. Where Voyager 1 is currently located in real time can be found on the special page of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Why in the 70s
Back in 1965, thanks in large part to competition from the Soviet Union, NASA's US space agency had enough money to fund research. At that time, it was believed that the level of technological development does not make it possible to produce devices capable of traveling tens of billions of kilometers beyond the boundaries of the solar system. A group of young and talented mathematicians was invited to develop a theory of such flights.
Two of them - Michael Minovich (Michael Minovich) and Gary Flandro (Gary Flandro) was tasked with studying the possible trajectory of spacecraft in the solar system. To prepare for the time when rocket technology has reached an appropriate level. Two young talents calculated that between 1976 and 1979. there are unique conditions for launching a space probe along a trajectory that runs alongside four large planets with minimal fuel consumption. Once every 176 years, planets are positioned in such a way that one of them can be used to fly further to the next. The previous such arrangement was in 1801, and the subsequent in 2153.
Space plans
The space agency could not miss such an excellent opportunity and quickly began to develop plans for an expedition called "Big Walk" in the solar system. NASA wanted to send at least four space probes to the planets and, in addition, to explore distant Pluto. In the years 1976-1977. it was planned to send two devices to Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto, and in 1979 two other probes were supposed to fly to Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
However, the US Congress did not like this much when discussing the budget of the project, which cost more than a billion dollars. For the 70s it was a huge cost. As a result, after the discussion, money was allocated to launch only two space probes, which were supposed to take advantage of the favorable location of the planets and, after performing a gravitational maneuver, explore Jupiter and Saturn, excluding Uranus, Neptune and Pluto from the program. However, NASA made a small act of civil disobedience and originally planned to send the vehicles further to explore the boundaries of the solar system, including the Kuiper belt.
Expedition start
More than forty years ago, two NASA Voyager interplanetary stations were launched under the first and second numbers. They are exactly the same and differ only in name and launch time. The Voyager 2 station was sent into space on August 20, 1977, and its twin under the first number left a little later: September 5.
There is no confusion with the numbers of spacecraft. It’s just that initially it was planned by NASA experts that Voyager 1 would fly faster and be the first when it approached the planets. What happened during the flight between the asteroid belt and the orbit of Mars. The speed of Voyager 1 is about 17 km per second. Then the stations went on different routes.
Great walk
The Voyage-1 automatic interplanetary station accurately fulfilled the announced official plan for the exploration of only two planets: Jupiter and Saturn. For the first time, close-up reconnaissance was carried out on the satellite of Jupiter Io and the large satellite of Saturn Titan.
Following the first apparatus, the slower Voyager -2 flew, which, in addition to these planets, was given the opportunity to become the first probe to reach Uranus and Neptune as well. The apparatus flew by the first in history near four gas giant planets, thus making the planned “Big Walk”.
First impressions
In March 1979, Voyager 1 flew to Jupiter, scientists were shocked by the unique photographs sent to the flight control center. For the first time, people were able to admire fantastic views of landscapes: clouds on the planet and a red spot, the moons of Jupiter - orange Io and snow-white, completely ice-covered Europe. Thanks to new images, the first active volcanoes were discovered outside the Earth on Io and evidence of the existence of the ocean under the ice in Europe.
Then the concept of “Instant Science” arose, when reporters at the research center immediately asked for clarification on the photographs that were taken just a few hours ago and the scientists had not yet had time to carefully analyze them. For many experts, this was an additional test when, after quiet work, they found themselves in front of dozens of journalists demanding an immediate response. Some of them were most interested in the question of where Voyager 1 is now.
To other planets
In November 1980, an interplanetary station flew up to Saturn, scientists received a series of excellent pictures of the rings of the planet. However, the greatest expectations were associated with the distant Titan. Through dense, completely impenetrable orange clouds, it was impossible to see anything. Nevertheless, measurements were made of surface pressure, which turned out to be 1.6 times greater than the Earth's pressure, and the atmospheric composition was studied, which consisted mainly of carbon dioxide with a small admixture of methane.
It also turned out that in the orange haze around the planet, a large number of organic molecules are synthesized under the influence of sunlight on methane. However, the emergence of life is prevented by low temperature, which is about minus 180 degrees.
Further, Voyager 1 flew through the Kuiper belt - an accumulation of ice bodies that begins beyond Neptune and stretches further at a distance of 30 astronomical units.
Alien message
Despite the fears of paranoids afraid of aggressive aliens, 30 cm gold-plated plates with information about the Earth were placed on each spacecraft. The coordinates of our planet are indicated, relative to the nearest pulsars. The chances of finding aliens are very small, because from the point where Voyager 1 is now located, it will fly for another 40 thousand years to the nearest star in the constellation Giraffe.
In addition, the sounds of nature (volcanoes, earthquakes, rain, birds, human steps and much more) and greetings in 55 languages are recorded on the plates. Photos and musical works from classical to folk are placed, which can be played using the attached special needle.
Where is Voyager 1 now?
In August 2012, the spacecraft flew up to the borders of the heliosphere, where the predominance of the solar wind changes to galactic cosmic rays. Having become the first man-made object to enter interstellar space, however, it will fly up to the borders of the solar system only after 300 years. The outer limit is considered by all astronomers to be the Oort cloud, where comets with a long orbit fly and where the influence of the gravity of the Sun is still greater than the influence of other stars.
Where Voyager 1 is now located can be viewed in a separate NASA app. Which shows that the space probe managed to fly off 21 billion kilometers from Earth or 138 astronomical units. Light flies this distance in 19 hours.
According to the plan, both devices were supposed to work for 5 years, many believe that this is just a technical miracle, that they continue to operate. According to experts, in the 2020s they will stop responding, since radioisotope sources of energy are completely discharged. Of course, Voyager 1 will fly further, at what distance it will then be, is still unknown. Further, the probes will wander around our galaxy almost forever, turning around its center for 225 million years.