Voyager to cross over new space frontier

NEARLY 18 billion kilometres away, for the first time in the history of the universe, a human-made object is about to leave our solar system.

By InvestSMART · 1 Jul 2012

By InvestSMART ·
1 Jul 2012

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NEARLY 18 billion kilometres away, for the first time in the history of the universe, a human-made object is about to leave our solar system.

Voyager 1 set off on the longest journey ever taken, on May 5, 1977. In the 34 years, nine months and 24 days it has been travelling, it has shot by Jupiter and Saturn, photographing the giant planets and their moons; it has passed the Kuiper belt, the vast cloud of asteroids that lies past the orbit of Neptune; it took the first "family portrait" of the planets, showing Earth as one more bright point in the black - a pale blue dot among the others.

Now, hurtling silently on at more than 16 kilometres a second, it is reaching the edge of the heliosheath - the final layer of the heliosphere, the bubble of charged particles surrounding our sun that marks the limit of the solar system.

Its mission, investigating the gas giants, ended 30 years ago, but as the old machine moved closer to the outside universe it was given new goals, of studying the edge of the solar system and the space beyond. Its instruments have started to shut down, as its nuclear power sources slowly deplete, but its radio transmitter is expected to keep running until at least 2025, reporting back what it finds: it is so far away that those signals now take 16 hours to arrive.

At last, humankind, via its mechanical representatives, is becoming a species of interstellar explorers.

When Voyager launched, it was not known whether a single planet existed outside our solar system: now 786 have been found.

In 40,000 years, Voyager, long dead and silent, will pass near a star in the Camelopardalis constellation. Hopefully humans will have walked on more worlds by then.

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Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…

What is Voyager 1 and why is it historically significant for space exploration?

Voyager 1 is a NASA spacecraft launched on May 5, 1977, that has flown farther than any human-made object. It photographed Jupiter and Saturn, took the famous "family portrait" (the Pale Blue Dot image of Earth) and is now about to cross the boundary of the solar system — a major milestone in human interstellar exploration.

Has Voyager 1 left the solar system yet, and what does 'leaving the solar system' mean?

Voyager 1 is reaching the edge of the heliosheath — the final layer of the heliosphere, the bubble of charged particles around the Sun that marks the limit of the solar system. The article describes it as "about to leave" this region, meaning it is approaching the boundary between our Sun’s influence and interstellar space.

How fast is Voyager 1 traveling and how long do its signals take to reach Earth?

Voyager 1 is hurtling through space at more than 16 kilometres per second and is nearly 18 billion kilometres away. Because of that distance, radio signals from the spacecraft now take about 16 hours to reach Earth.

What were Voyager 1’s main achievements during its planetary mission?

During its primary mission Voyager 1 flew past Jupiter and Saturn, photographing the giant planets and their moons, passing the Kuiper belt, and capturing the first wide-angle "family portrait" of the planets — including Earth as the Pale Blue Dot.

What is the current operational status of Voyager 1’s instruments and power supply?

Many of Voyager 1’s instruments have started to shut down as its nuclear power sources slowly deplete. However, its radio transmitter is expected to keep reporting findings back to Earth until at least 2025.

What new scientific goals were set for Voyager 1 after its gas-giant mission ended?

After the original mission to investigate the gas giants ended about 30 years ago, Voyager 1 was repurposed to study the edge of the solar system and the space beyond, providing unique data on the heliosheath and interstellar environment.

How has our knowledge of planets outside the solar system changed since Voyager 1 launched?

When Voyager 1 launched in 1977 it was not known whether any planets existed beyond our solar system. Since then, astronomers have identified hundreds of exoplanets — the article notes that 786 had been found at the time of writing.

What will eventually happen to Voyager 1 in the very long term?

Voyager 1 will continue drifting long after it is dead and silent; in roughly 40,000 years the spacecraft is expected to pass near a star in the Camelopardalis constellation. Its journey is a long-term human legacy of interstellar exploration.