Jump to content

Voyager 1: 15.8 Million Miles Into Interstellar Space


chevysoldier
 Share

Recommended Posts

Outrageous.

"When NASA’s Voyager 1 space probe launched on 5 September, 1977, its mission was to explore Jupiter and Saturn and help scientists learn more about our solar system. Thirty-six years later, Voyager 1 is still providing discoveries.

NASA recently learned that Voyager 1, which has now traveled more than 15.8 million miles from Earth, has moved so far from our planet that it is now in what is called interstellar space, or a region of our solar system, where it has come into contact with particles that were released by stars other than our sun."

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/voyager-spacecraft-127785

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So let me get this straight, in 1977 we had the technology to build a spacecraft that is still working 37 years later without maintenance and can send data back to Earth from farther than the Sun can emit solar wind but my cell phone can't get reception inside the hospital and my motorcycle needs service every 7500 miles? GTFO!

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Voyager 1 uses a radioisotope thermoelectric generator for its power supply.  Reasonably, these could last 80-90 years without any maintenance or refueling - depending on how much energy the voyager needs to operate.  It's a pretty neat technology :) and technically what I'm writing my disseration on... well thermoelectric material development.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So let me get this straight, in 1977 we had the technology to build a spacecraft that is still working 37 years later without maintenance and can send data back to Earth from farther than the Sun can emit solar wind but my cell phone can't get reception inside the hospital and my motorcycle needs service every 7500 miles? GTFO!

 

Hospitals use EMF blocking paint (like YShield) to essentially disable cell phones. Lots of other places use the same stuff. FYI.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...