Voyager 1
Voyager 1 is a space probe used by NASA to explore Jupiter and Saturn. It is the same in form to its sister spacecraft, Voyager 2.
 Model of the Voyager spacecraft design | |
| Mission type | Outer planetary, heliosphere, and interstellar medium exploration |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| COSPAR ID | 1977-084A[1] |
| SATCAT no. | 10321[2] |
| Website | voyager |
| Mission duration |
|
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 825.5 kg (1,820 lb) |
| Power | 470 watts (at launch) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | September 5, 1977, 12:56:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Titan IIIE |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 41 |
| Flyby of Jupiter | |
| Closest approach | March 5, 1979 |
| Distance | 349,000 km (217,000 mi) |
| Flyby of Saturn | |
| Closest approach | November 12, 1980 |
| Distance | 124,000 km (77,000 mi) |
| Flyby of Titan (atmosphere study) | |
| Closest approach | November 12, 1980 |
| Distance | 6,490 km (4,030 mi) |
Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977, to study the outer planets of the Solar System. It is now in an extended mission. Its encounter with Saturn and Titan sent it on a hyperbolic trajectory out of the solar system, traveling at 17 km/s (38,000 mph; 61,000 km/h) which is much faster than the escape velocity, meaning Voyager 1 is able to escape the solar system.
Voyager 1's research team announced on August 25, 2012 that it had left the solar system. It passed out of the heliosphere and into interstellar space. It's the most distant man-made object. On February 17, 1998, Voyager 1 became the Earth's farthest spacecraft from the Earth, when it overtook Pioneer 10 at a total distance of 70 AU, which is 6.5 billion miles from the Sun. It's also the first man-made object to leave the solar system. As of September 20, 2021, it was 14,300,000,000 miles (2.30×1010 km) from Earth.[3]
Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 include the Voyager Golden Record, which is a recording of sounds and images of life on Earth. It was designed by a team headed by Carl Sagan to communicate with extraterrestrial life.
Related pagesEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ "Voyager 1". NSSDC Master Catalog. NASA/NSSDC. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ↑ "Voyager 1". N2YO. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ↑ "Jet Propulsion Voyager". 1 January 2020.
