Voyage 2 Spacecraft
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a remarkable feat of human exploration and discovery. It was launched in 1977, along with its twin Voyager 1, to explore the outer planets of our solar system. It is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune, and it is now the second most distant human-made object in space, after Voyager 1.
Deep space
However, communicating with such a faraway spacecraft is not easy. It requires a powerful radio antenna that can send and receive signals across billions of miles. NASA uses its Deep Space Network (DSN), a network of giant radio dishes around the world, to keep in touch with Voyager 2 and other deep space missions.
Unfortunately, sometimes things can go wrong. On July 21, 2023, NASA accidentally sent a wrong command to Voyager 2 that caused it to tilt its antenna away from Earth. This meant that the spacecraft could not receive any more commands or send back any data. NASA lost contact with Voyager 2 for nearly two weeks.
Keep talking
But NASA did not give up. The engineers tried to send a corrective command to Voyager 2 using the DSN, hoping that the spacecraft would somehow pick it up and respond.
On August 1, 2023, NASA finally received a signal from Voyager 2. It was a faint ‘heartbeat‘ that confirmed that the spacecraft was still alive and broadcasting. NASA was overjoyed and relieved to hear from its old friend.
On August 4, 2023, NASA announced that it had successfully restored full contact with Voyager 2. The engineers had managed to send an ‘interstellar shout’ to the spacecraft, a powerful command that instructed it to point its antenna back to Earth. It took 37 hours for the command to reach Voyager 2 and another 37 hours for the confirmation to come back. It worked! Voyager 2 was back online and ready to resume its mission.
Amazing
Voyager 2 is an amazing example of human ingenuity and perseverance. It has been exploring space for nearly half a century, and it is still going strong. It has taught us so much about our solar system and beyond, and it continues to send us valuable data from the interstellar space. We are lucky to have such a faithful companion in our cosmic journey
Voyager 1 is an amazing spacecraft that has been exploring the outer solar system and beyond for over 45 years. It is currently the most distant human-made object from Earth, and it is still sending us valuable data from interstellar space.
According to the latest information from NASA, as of April 7, 2023, Voyager 1 is about 14,803,648,909 miles (23,837,577,852 kilometers) away from Earth. That is equivalent to 160.154936 astronomical units (AU), which is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.
To put that in perspective, it would take light about 22 hours and 4 minutes to travel from Voyager 1 to Earth. That means that we are receiving signals from Voyager 1 that were sent almost a day ago! It takes approximately 8 minutes for light to travel from the Sun to planet Earth
Voyager 1 is also moving away from Earth at a speed of about 38,026.77 miles per hour (or 61,198.15 kilometers per hour) relative to the Sun. That means that it is getting farther and farther away from us every second. At this rate, it will take Voyager 1 about 40,000 years to reach the nearest star system to our Sun, which is Alpha Centauri.
Voyager 1 is a testament to human curiosity and ingenuity. It has taught us so much about our solar system and beyond, and it continues to inspire us to explore the unknown.
Nice one Voyager 1
Explore
NASA’s StarChild: This is a website that offers information and activities for children about stars and other astronomical topics.
Stellarium: This is a free software that simulates the sky in 3D and allows you to explore the stars and constellations from any location and time.
StarDate: This is a website that provides daily updates on the sky events, such as star sightings, eclipses, meteor showers, and planetary alignments.