Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: justboatonic on December 14, 2010, 07:36:42 pm
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Has all but left the solar system and is almost in interstellar space.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8201280/Voyager-1-reaches-edge-of-solar-system.html
The solar wind, a stream of charged particles spewing from the sun, has slowed to a speed of zero and is moving sideways rather than outwards, marking the end of the solar system.
Nasa said the 722kg probe would take another four years to fully exit the solar system and enter interstellar space, the area between the influence of the sun and the next star system. The space agency described it as a “major milestone” in space exploration.
In echos of Star Trek, a lead scientist on the mission is called Decker. Trek fans will know the Captain of the Enterprise in the VGer ST film, was also called Dekker!
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Yes, I picked up that report on the BBC website. The Moody Blues entitled one of their contemporary albums 'Long Distance Voyager' with an image orf the spacecraft on the cover and it has certainly lived up to the name. Really stirs the imagination that for most of my life this little craft has been voyaging ever outwards without losing contact with Earth. A wonderful achievement.
Colin
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" VGER seeks the creator!"
fly away free bird!
33years since launch
10.8 billion miles from the sun travelling at 38,000 mph.....
messages now take 15 hours to reach earth
science fiction becoming science fact :-))
live long and prosper little voyager :}
db
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Are we still getting useful feedback from the craft ?
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Oh yes!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11988466
Colin
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I think most of the solar wind instruments are still working as well as they did when built , the camera's were turned off a long time ago ( think they started to suffer faults and it wasn't a priority to write software to overcome the problems ) and I'd think couldn't be switched back on again.
The problem now is that due to the "green" movement in America NASA will never be able to put another satellite like this into space , I think the Us Military still launch spy satellites with nuclear reactors from time to time but NASA hasn't been allowed to launch a reactor for well over 10 years now.
Bit much of the greens to stop reactors as by far and away the best engine for any manned mission to Mars or the outer planets is a nuclear rocket ( they pump gas into a reactor and that gives them the thrust , amazingly the greens claim this will pollute space.... erm the radiation a nuc engine puts out is like pee'ing in the ocean compared to solar radiation !! )
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http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/fastfacts.html
Looks like there are still 5 working experiments onboard and both satellites are still working well , says something about mid 1970's technology
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http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/fastfacts.html
Looks like there are still 5 working experiments onboard and both satellites are still working well , says something about mid 1970's technology
Very true. But Spirit and Opportunity Mars Rovers were only intended to last 3 months yet they have lasted well. Not sure which one but one is only lost because it drove into soft ground and Mission Control hadnt realised it was going nowhere except lower into the ground.