• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Technologies.org

Technology Trends: Follow the Money

  • Technology Events 2023-2024
  • Sponsored Post
    • Make a Contribution
  • Technology Jobs
  • Technology Markets
    • Venture Capital
  • About
  • Contact

NASA’s Voyager 2 Probe Enters Interstellar Space

December 10, 2018 By admin Leave a Comment

For the second time in history, a human-made object has reached the space between the stars. NASA’s Voyager 2 probe now has exited the heliosphere – the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by the Sun.

Members of NASA’s Voyager team will discuss the findings at a news conference at 11 a.m. EST (8 a.m. PST) today at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington. The news conference will stream live on the agency’s website.

Comparing data from different instruments aboard the trailblazing spacecraft, mission scientists determined the probe crossed the outer edge of the heliosphere on Nov. 5. This boundary, called the heliopause, is where the tenuous, hot solar wind meets the cold, dense interstellar medium. Its twin, Voyager 1, crossed this boundary in 2012, but Voyager 2 carries a working instrument that will provide first-of-its-kind observations of the nature of this gateway into interstellar space.

Voyager 2 now is slightly more than 11 billion miles (18 billion kilometers) from Earth. Mission operators still can communicate with Voyager 2 as it enters this new phase of its journey, but information – moving at the speed of light – takes about 16.5 hours to travel from the spacecraft to Earth. By comparison, light traveling from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth.

The most compelling evidence of Voyager 2’s exit from the heliosphere came from its onboard Plasma Science Experiment (PLS), an instrument that stopped working on Voyager 1 in 1980, long before that probe crossed the heliopause. Until recently, the space surrounding Voyager 2 was filled predominantly with plasma flowing out from our Sun. This outflow, called the solar wind, creates a bubble – the heliosphere – that envelopes the planets in our solar system. The PLS uses the electrical current of the plasma to detect the speed, density, temperature, pressure and flux of the solar wind. The PLS aboard Voyager 2 observed a steep decline in the speed of the solar wind particles on Nov. 5. Since that date, the plasma instrument has observed no solar wind flow in the environment around Voyager 2, which makes mission scientists confident the probe has left the heliosphere.

“Working on Voyager makes me feel like an explorer, because everything we’re seeing is new,” said John Richardson, principal investigator for the PLS instrument and a principal research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. “Even though Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause in 2012, it did so at a different place and a different time, and without the PLS data. So we’re still seeing things that no one has seen before.”

In addition to the plasma data, Voyager’s science team members have seen evidence from three other onboard instruments – the cosmic ray subsystem, the low energy charged particle instrument and the magnetometer – that is consistent with the conclusion that Voyager 2 has crossed the heliopause. Voyager’s team members are eager to continue to study the data from these other onboard instruments to get a clearer picture of the environment through which Voyager 2 is traveling.

“There is still a lot to learn about the region of interstellar space immediately beyond the heliopause,” said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist based at Caltech in Pasadena, California.

Together, the two Voyagers provide a detailed glimpse of how our heliosphere interacts with the constant interstellar wind flowing from beyond. Their observations complement data from NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), a mission that is remotely sensing that boundary. NASA also is preparing an additional mission – the upcoming Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), due to launch in 2024 – to capitalize on the Voyagers’ observations.

“Voyager has a very special place for us in our heliophysics fleet,” said Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “Our studies start at the Sun and extend out to everything the solar wind touches. To have the Voyagers sending back information about the edge of the Sun’s influence gives us an unprecedented glimpse of truly uncharted territory.”

While the probes have left the heliosphere, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have not yet left the solar system, and won’t be leaving anytime soon. The boundary of the solar system is considered to be beyond the outer edge of the Oort Cloud, a collection of small objects that are still under the influence of the Sun’s gravity. The width of the Oort Cloud is not known precisely, but it is estimated to begin at about 1,000 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun and to extend to about 100,000 AU. One AU is the distance from the Sun to Earth. It will take about 300 years for Voyager 2 to reach the inner edge of the Oort Cloud and possibly 30,000 years to fly beyond it.

The Voyager probes are powered using heat from the decay of radioactive material, contained in a device called a radioisotope thermal generator (RTG). The power output of the RTGs diminishes by about four watts per year, which means that various parts of the Voyagers, including the cameras on both spacecraft, have been turned off over time to manage power.

“I think we’re all happy and relieved that the Voyager probes have both operated long enough to make it past this milestone,” said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. “This is what we’ve all been waiting for. Now we’re looking forward to what we’ll be able to learn from having both probes outside the heliopause.”

Voyager 2 launched in 1977, 16 days before Voyager 1, and both have traveled well beyond their original destinations. The spacecraft were built to last five years and conduct close-up studies of Jupiter and Saturn. However, as the mission continued, additional flybys of the two outermost giant planets, Uranus and Neptune, proved possible. As the spacecraft flew across the solar system, remote-control reprogramming was used to endow the Voyagers with greater capabilities than they possessed when they left Earth. Their two-planet mission became a four-planet mission. Their five-year lifespans have stretched to 41 years, making Voyager 2 NASA’s longest running mission.

The Voyager story has impacted not only generations of current and future scientists and engineers, but also Earth’s culture, including film, art and music. Each spacecraft carries a Golden Record of Earth sounds, pictures and messages. Since the spacecraft could last billions of years, these circular time capsules could one day be the only traces of human civilization.

Voyager’s mission controllers communicate with the probes using NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), a global system for communicating with interplanetary spacecraft. The DSN consists of three clusters of antennas in Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia.

The Voyager Interstellar Mission is a part of NASA’s Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL built and operates the twin Voyager spacecraft. NASA’s DSN, managed by JPL, is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s national science agency, operates both the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, part of the DSN, and the Parkes Observatory, which NASA has been using to downlink data from Voyager 2 since Nov. 8.

For more information about the Voyager mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/voyager

More information about NASA’s Heliophysics missions is available online at:

https://www.nasa.gov/sunearth

SOURCE NASA

Related Links
http://www.nasa.gov

Filed Under: Tech

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Market Analysis

The Growing Tin Market: Prospects for Future Demand and Sustainability
Prospects for the Growing Lithium Market in the Coming Years
DevOps and Agile: Integrating Development and Operations
China’s Use of Golden Shares: From Reducing State Role to Quietly Controlling Tech Giants
Why Amazon Acquired One Medical: Disrupting the Healthcare Industry with Technology-Enabled Care
The End of an Era: Why China is No Longer Viable as the World’s Factory
Cloudflare’s FedRAMP authorization opens up a huge market opportunity in the US government sector

Market Research Media

How plunging birthrates threaten national economies
Agile Leadership: Leading Agile Teams for Success
Chinese Brands Reach New Heights of Popularity in the West Amid Growing Political Tensions
Unrestricted Streaming: How VPNs Can Enhance Media Consumption Experience
How the world’s biggest companies have built and defended their moats
Virtual Learning Environments: A Game-Changer in Education?
Streaming video, training, and gaming coming together to form a cohesive and diverse media and entertainment ecosystem

Secondary Sidebar

Tech Events

GitHub Universe 2023 will be held on November 8-9 in San Francisco, California
Upcoming Technology Events of 2023
Space Symposium 2023, April 17-20, Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Yugabyte’s third annual Distributed SQL Summit (DSS) Asia, March 28, 2023
NVIDIA GTC, a global conference for the era of AI and the metaverse, March 20-23, 2023

Venture Capital

African Venture Investment Soars to Record High, Fueled by Tech Startups
Pitchly Secures $7 Million Series A Funding for SaaS-Based Data Enablement Solution
Agile Project Management: Roles and Responsibilities
Candidly, a student debt and savings optimization platform, has raised $20.5 million in a Series B round of financing
GameTech Startups Attracting Venture Capital Funding: The Importance of VPN Security

Footer

Recent Posts

  • Japan Revamps Chip Strategy, Aims to Triple Sales by 2030
  • New Cloud Computing Startup Evroc Seeks €3 Billion to Challenge Amazon
  • Apple Vision Pro Review
  • IBM announced plans to build its first European quantum data center in Zurich, Switzerland
  • Hydrogen Technology: The Key to a Sustainable Future for the Cruise and Shipping Industries
  • Regenerative Finance: Shifting Towards Sustainable and Equitable Financial Systems
  • Why Arm Ltd May Build Its Own Semiconductor
  • Dragonfly Announces New Kubernetes Operator for In-Memory Datastore for Simplified Operations and Increased Performance
  • Cosmic Crops Return: Seeds Sent to Space to Develop Resilient Crops for a Warming World
  • AI Developer

App Coding

Native vs Cross-Platform vs Low-Code vs Web: Choosing the Right App Development Platform for Your Business
Understanding Data Structures and Algorithms
Designing a Seamless Event Registration and Attendance Management App
How to Build a Successful Social Media App: Best Practices and Key Considerations
Exploring Two Approaches to Moonshot Software Projects: 1000 Monkeys Method vs. Planned Approach

API Coding

How to code an API with ChatGPT
How to teach yourself API coding
Mastering API Management: Best Practices for Ensuring Secure and Efficient APIs
Leveraging API and IP Intelligence for Improved Cybersecurity
Connecting to a Crypto Exchange using an API Key: A Guide

Blockchaining

Exploring the Potential of Blockchain Technology: A Comprehensive Overview
Creating a Unique and Valuable Non-Fungible Token (NFT): A Step-by-Step Guide
How is the betting industry adopting blockchain?
Join Our Team as a Blockchain Developer - Revolutionize the Future
Blockchain Technology: Ownership Through Equity Tokenization

Event Calendar

PCIM Europe 2023, May 9-11, 2023, Nuremberg Exhibition Center, Nuremberg, Germany
Interwire Trade Exposition, May 9-11, 2023, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA
ProMat 2023, the leading trade show for the manufacturing and supply chain industry, March 20-23 2023, Chicago’s McCormick Place
Prints 2023, Printing Conference, March 3, 2023
Milan Design Week 2023, April 17-23 2023, Milan, Italy

Copyright © 2022 Technologies.org

Media Partners: Market Analysis & Market Research and Exclusive Domains

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT