Originally designed as part of the Mariner Program, Voyager moved into a class of its own almost immediately.  The tiny spacecrafts, weighing roughly 1,500 lbs each, were launched in 1977 to take advantage of the positioning of the planets.  Voyager 1 and 2 both took advantage of Jupiter’s mass in assisting them on their way, receiving a relative boost of 35,700mph.  This was essential to reach Saturn.  After reaching the Saturnine system, Voyager 1 was sent off initial trajectory by massive Titan (Saturnine moon).  Scientists deliberately sent Voyager 1 close by Titan, knowing it would fling it off the Ecliptic, but the knowledge gained in learning more about Titan was deemed more important at the time.  Voyager 2 continued on the planned trajectory, receiving gravity boosts from Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Voyager    Image:  NASA

An interesting aside about Voyager 2:  The scientists had kept its sensors online as it was launched, and Voyager 2 experienced a completely unexpected robotic “vertigo”, switching itself to its backup sensors.  Of course, the Voyager 2 computers were not controlling the launch; computers on board the Titan/Centaur rocket (amazing things, aren’t they?  I need to do a post on them.) remained in control.  Voyager 2 effectively became our first motion-sick space craft.  After separation from it’s rocket boosters in space, Voyager 2 deployed its arm, but then sensed something wrong,  immediately cutting communication and firing thrusters to orient itself.  Shutting down most of its links to Earth, Voyager 2 spent 79 minutes alone and lost in space, unable to orient itself.  Of course, Voyager 2 found the Sun, oriented itself, and re-established communication with Earth. Voyager 2, despite being nauseous, space sick and disoriented (your indulgence requested), went on to make amazing discoveries, not the least of which was that the surface of Europa is covered in ice.  Prior to the Voyager 2 flyby, scientists suspected Europa’s surface irregularities where caused by tectonic activity.

For 23 years, Voyager 1 and 2 have continued to provide scientific data to Earth.  Both have passed termination shock, and are in the heliosheath, approaching heliopause.  Neither is en route to any specific star.  Both carry the “golden record”.  On board platforms are being slowly powered down, but Voyager is expected to continue transmitting information until 2020, possibly 2025.  Following termination of power, Voyager will drift… controlled by the pull of the Milky Way itself.

Voyager at Termination Shock    Image:  NASA/Walt Feimer

Just to the end of their primary mission, the exploration of the solar system up to Neptune, Voyager has returned five trillion bits of information back to Earth.  It’s my understanding that this represents 6,000 complete Encyclopedia Brittannicas, or 1,000 bits of information to each man, woman, and child on Earth.  Voyager 1 is currently the furthest man-made object in space, and is expected to remain so.

Our tiny ambassadors in space.

Visit the Voyager Homepage here.