Voyager II on verge of crossing into Interstellar Space

I'm certainly not an expert in this field; really just a casual fan of deep space exploration. I didn't see anything else posted here, so here I am.

Voyager 1 officially crossed into interstellar space back in 2012, so this isn't ground breaking. But, it's still about to be only the second man made object to cross into Interstellar space.

Voyager II LInk

From the article:

NASA's Voyager 2 probe may be close to joining its sibling and entering interstellar space. The vessel has been detecting a five percent increase in cosmic rays since late August, suggesting that it's close to crossing the heliopause (the edge of the solar wind bubble, aka the heliosphere) and entering the interstellar realm. Voyager 1 saw similar increases in May 2012, so its fellow spacecraft may be in for a repeat.

Not sure what the future of space exploration holds. It may be a long time till we accomplish this feat again. Hopefully, through technological advancement, it won't be that long at all.

a reply to: Assassin82

well - its too late to send a recall order - so lets hope that if any " thing " out there finds them - they are freindly

I remember waiting with bated breath as a schoolkid for each rendezvous with the outer set of planets, and being so astonished as the first pictures of Neptune and Uranus came through. Amazing to think that Voyager I and II are now so far away and somehow still sending back radio signals after 40 years.

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
a reply to: Assassin82

well - its too late to send a recall order - so lets hope that if any " thing " out there finds them - they are freindly

Surprised that was not considered

Second also suprised it has not been considered that radio wave or communication waves between space probes and or crafts and planet rovers/landers and EA*RTH receiving equipment is also trackable...

a reply to: Ophiuchus 13


We have been broadcasting radio and Tv into space for decades so it's probably a bit academic now.

a reply to: oldcarpy

Nice article here on the people who run the probe:

www.nytimes.com...

Most of them have been with it from the outset and want to see it through until it runs out of juice.

Our solar system must be fairly debree free for it to not have taken any hits right?

a reply to: toysforadults
I've always wondered that, maybe it's just a vastness I struggle to comprehend so two little probes are safe enough for millions of miles.
I love this story though, I was only a toddler when they blasted off.

a reply to: OneBigMonkeyToo

Appreciate the linked article.

Netflix has The Farthest: Voyager In Space, which is a 2017 release that interviews many of those in the article. I loved the doc and highly recommend it.

Interesting note (at least to me): Voyager I was launched two weeks following the launch of Voyager II.

The New Horizons probe is getting pretty far out into the solar system — don’t know if it’ll be the next to escape but it’s got a chance...

originally posted by: BeefNoMeat
The New Horizons probe is getting pretty far out into the solar system — don’t know if it’ll be the next to escape but it’s got a chance...

It will but due to the gravity assists the Voyagers experienced they will always remain the furthest man made objects of the three even though New Horizons had a higher launch velocity.

It might come back in 1000 years destroy three Klingon war birds and threaten the universe.

Wait?

Never mind that's a Star Trek movie .

originally posted by: Fallingdown
It might come back in 1000 years destroy three Klingon war birds and threaten the universe.

Just look up the password on the Internet and all will be well. In fact, do it now so we'll be prepared.

a reply to: schuyler

In the worst case scenario it will merge with Maxine Waters this time .

visuals are always more self explanatory... so here's a short version...

the Voyager 2 is currently bursting through the southern bow-wave of the heliosphere
the Voyager 1 craft, long ago, headed toward the northern bow-wave of the heliosphere


fast forward to the 2:00 time line of the animated graphic to see how they 'diverged' at the outer planet of the solar system on their journey to interstellar space


www.bing.com...

a reply to: ignorant_ape

They are so slow they will never make it anywhere to be found in well .. forever.

a reply to: Ophiuchus 13

As I understand it, it was a consideration...or it certainly should have been.

Why they were operating under the possible mistaken belief that any aliens that find it would automatically be friendly is something, even as a kid, I wondered about... Why must they be friendly?

a reply to: oldcarpy

Well over a century now, since the first radio waves began heading out into space. Whether there are any ears, friendly or otherwise, to hear them is a 64 million dollar question. That question, only time will answer...I hope they're friendly when we find out. 50/50, at best.

a reply to: toysforadults

There's lots of debris...there's also lots of space. I recall reading someplace that the odds of them actually being struck by an object is actually rather slim.

I was really young when I read that, so the information might be slightly dated.

a reply to: Assassin82

I have a vague memory of these being launched, I grew up not far at all from NASA Johnson Space Center, aka Mission Control. Went to school with several of the eggheads kids who worked there and so have always had space science in the background of my life.

That these machines are still sending a signal that can be picked up all these decades later is incredible and really gives a sense of scale as to the vastness of the distances we are seeing demonstrated here.

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
a reply to: Assassin82

well - its too late to send a recall order - so lets hope that if any " thing " out there finds them - they are freindly

What?! And bring back some deep-space microorganism that would cause a massive pandemic and end life on earth at we know it?

I saw how that ends. NO THANKS!!!!