In 1977, the U.S. space agency, NASA, launched an ambitious space programme-the Voyager-to study the four outer planets of the Solar System, namely Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The mission employed two robotic probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, on different trajectories. While the former was tasked to make a close flyby of Jupiter and Saturn, the latter was set to pass these planets on a wider trajectory, and explore Uranus and Neptune in addition. These spacecraft were initially designed to last only five years, but they outlived their expectations and their mission was subsequently extended. They continued their mission was subsequently extended. They continued their cosmic journey beyond the solar system into interstellar space.
It’s been 42 years since launch and both Voyager 1 and 2 are going strong and sending back data from more than 11 billion miles from the Sun. The track record is indeed outstanding, but the Voyager Program cannot go on forever. In 2019, NASA announced that both spacecraft will likely be retired by mid-2020s, as their power has been gradually dropping.
As if it was a sign of things to come, Voyager2 experienced a power glitch last month, which forced the spacecraft to go offline. But the NASA team fixed the problem and the probe’s science instruments resumed work.
In this week’s Five Ws & One H, let’s take a closer look at the Voyager Program and its monumental contributions to the field of astronomy.
Picture Credit : Google