NASA Voyager 1 Encounters New Region in Deep Space

wishuwerehere

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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-381&cid=release_2012-381


PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a new region at the far reaches of our solar system that scientists feel is the final area the spacecraft has to cross before reaching interstellar space.


Scientists refer to this new region as a magnetic highway for charged particles because our sun's magnetic field lines are connected to interstellar magnetic field lines.


"Although Voyager 1 still is inside the sun's environment, we now can taste what it's like on the outside because the particles are zipping in and out on this magnetic highway," said Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist based at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. "We believe this is the last leg of our journey to interstellar space. Our best guess is it's likely just a few months to a couple years away. The new region isn't what we expected, but we've come to expect the unexpected from Voyager."

More at link.


“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan
 
It launched September 5, 1977 - 35 years ago. It is so cool that it has lasted this long and gone so far.
I would have been 17 and probably saw it go.
 
OMG I just saw the Star Trek movie about Voyager the other day. I thought it was lost. OK well glad to see it's still out there exploring looking for new life, but the question still remains will humans be able to reproduce in space?
 
so cool, thanks for sharing, i had no idea it was still up there!
 
OMG I just saw the Star Trek movie about Voyager the other day. I thought it was lost. OK well glad to see it's still out there exploring looking for new life, but the question still remains will humans be able to reproduce in space?

BBM: nothin' else seems to stop us!
 
This is so cool! Carl Sagan would have been thrilled with this! Coincidentally, my partner & I just started watching Cosmos last night - so this is very apropos! Thank you for posting it, wishuwerehere! BTW - I love your siggy!

From the OP link:

The signal from Voyager 1 takes approximately 17 hours to travel to Earth.

My daughter & I were wondering how long the signal took to reach Earth. 17 hours - that's fast, considering that Voyager 1 is billions of miles away.

Go Voyager 1!!! :)
 
Voyager 1's 'Golden Record' Contains Directions To Earth For Aliens

In addition to recorded greetings in various languages, music, natural sounds, and images of a man and woman, the record includes directions to Earth. Some have argued that including those directions wasn't such a good idea -- given the possibility that aliens who encounter them might want to come to Earth to do us harm.

If the aliens have the capability of interstellar space navigation, they don’t need our directions to find us; they’re probably monitoring this post right now. :ufo:
 
It will be about 20,000 years before it gets beyond the Oort shell (the source of long-period comets) and enters true interstellar space.

I believe Steven Hawking said that we might have made a mistake putting directions to Earth on the craft because it's likely that a more advanced culture will be detrimental if not destructive to us, even if they are not overtly hostile.
 
It will be about 20,000 years before it gets beyond the Oort shell (the source of long-period comets) and enters true interstellar space.

I believe Steven Hawking said that we might have made a mistake putting directions to Earth on the craft because it's likely that a more advanced culture will be detrimental if not destructive to us, even if they are not overtly hostile.

Where did you get that information? When one of the scientists working on the project says this:

.....Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist based at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. "We believe this is the last leg of our journey to interstellar space. Our best guess is it's likely just a few months to a couple years away.
 
I googled Oort Voyager and it said 14,000-28,000 (I took an average) years before it passed beyond the Oort Cloud, the outer edge of the solar system, on the nasa.gov site. Since the Oort objects are orbiting the sun (and Voyager is not even near them yet) I don't see how you could call anything nearer that interstellar space but whatever. To me, interstellar space is beyond the influence of the sun otherwise the word doesn't really mean much.
 
Voyager 1's Next Stop - Interstellar Space

http://www.sen.com/news/voyager-1-next-stop-interstellar-space.html

After 35 years cruising through our solar system, the probe discovered a new phenemonon: a "magnetic highway". It's thought to be at the extreme edge of the heliosphere, or the magnetic region of space dominated by the Sun.

The size of the highway, and the time it will take to cross it, are both unknowns. It could be months or years, NASA officials said in a televised press briefing.
…
The "magnetic highway" Voyager 1 found is a region where charged particles flowing along the Sun's magnetic lines meet magnetic lines that come from interstellar space, outside of the heliosphere.

This region was not anticipated by scientists and came as a surprise to the Voyager team.

"As this discovery demonstrates, there are things that aren’t in our thinking," Stone said.

(Emphasis mine.)

From what I understand, NASA did not anticipate the information gained from Voyager 1 by entering this “magnetic highway.” This new information shows Voyager is at the edge of our solar system. We are in the midst of discovery.
 
How exciting...I used to follow NASAs site all the time and now this gives me a reason to get involved again...thanks for the info...
 
It will be about 20,000 years before it gets beyond the Oort shell (the source of long-period comets) and enters true interstellar space.

I believe Steven Hawking said that we might have made a mistake putting directions to Earth on the craft because it's likely that a more advanced culture will be detrimental if not destructive to us, even if they are not overtly hostile.

I understand the evolutionary basis for Hawking's musings; but, personally, I think any beings capable of interstellar transport will have evolved philosophically beyond "survival of the fittest". Otherwise, they will have destroyed themselves with their technology along the way. (Same goes for us.)
 
How exciting...I used to follow NASAs site all the time and now this gives me a reason to get involved again...thanks for the info...

I find myself getting interested in space exploration again, too. And I'd much rather read about data sent from our robots than worry about the safety of live astronauts.

Remind me again why we need a manned mission to Mars?
 

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