The Voyager missions, which started in 1977, have been amazing in helping us learn about the outer solar system. After spending decades flying through space, the Voyager probes are still in touch with Earth. This is thanks to smart engineering and clever technology.
The Voyager spacecraft have a special system for communicating from deep space. They use a high-gain antenna to send signals back to Earth. These signals are received by the Deep Space Network (DSN), which has a network of antennas in places like California, Spain, and Australia.
The Voyager 1 spacecraft is super far away, over 14 billion miles from Earth! It sends information using radio waves. But here's the catch: it takes about 22.5 hours for a signal to travel one way from Voyager 1 to Earth. That’s a long wait, but the probes are built to last a long time in space.
To keep communicating for so long, the Voyager probes need power. They use radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). These machines change heat from some special materials into electricity. While they produce less power as time goes by, they still work well enough to operate their tools and send signals back home.
Since there isn’t a lot of space to send information, the probes use a technique called data compression. This means they only send back the most important findings and discoveries. This way, they make the best use of the time they have to communicate.
The ongoing connection with the Voyager missions has given us valuable information about the outer planets. We've seen detailed pictures of Jupiter's storms and the rings of Saturn. They've also helped us understand the heliosphere and gather data about cosmic rays and magnetic fields far beyond our solar system.
The Voyager missions keep teaching us about the universe long after they were launched. They remind us that the desire to explore is timeless and knows no distance.
The Voyager missions, which started in 1977, have been amazing in helping us learn about the outer solar system. After spending decades flying through space, the Voyager probes are still in touch with Earth. This is thanks to smart engineering and clever technology.
The Voyager spacecraft have a special system for communicating from deep space. They use a high-gain antenna to send signals back to Earth. These signals are received by the Deep Space Network (DSN), which has a network of antennas in places like California, Spain, and Australia.
The Voyager 1 spacecraft is super far away, over 14 billion miles from Earth! It sends information using radio waves. But here's the catch: it takes about 22.5 hours for a signal to travel one way from Voyager 1 to Earth. That’s a long wait, but the probes are built to last a long time in space.
To keep communicating for so long, the Voyager probes need power. They use radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). These machines change heat from some special materials into electricity. While they produce less power as time goes by, they still work well enough to operate their tools and send signals back home.
Since there isn’t a lot of space to send information, the probes use a technique called data compression. This means they only send back the most important findings and discoveries. This way, they make the best use of the time they have to communicate.
The ongoing connection with the Voyager missions has given us valuable information about the outer planets. We've seen detailed pictures of Jupiter's storms and the rings of Saturn. They've also helped us understand the heliosphere and gather data about cosmic rays and magnetic fields far beyond our solar system.
The Voyager missions keep teaching us about the universe long after they were launched. They remind us that the desire to explore is timeless and knows no distance.