The Incredible Achievements Of Voyager 2 And Its Lasting Impact

Space has fascinated humans since the beginning of time. In today’s age, we’re lucky enough to have developed the technology to send people up into the unknown. The Voyager 2 probe has been illuminating the undiscovered universe since its launch in 1977. Its contributions to our understanding of the universe have been outstanding. 

Voyager 2 managed to reach its sister probe Voyager 1, all the way out in interstellar space. On November 2019, the probe finally got far beyond the solar winds of our own system and is currently exploring new sights.

Voyager 2 has managed to collect data that has fascinated scientists, amateur astronomers, students, and space enthusiasts for nearly forty-five years. Although some of its original tools are now nonfunctional, some key features are still up to date. 

Interstellar comes from the Latin “inter,” meaning between, and “stella,” meaning stars, so it refers to the space between the stars. And although the probe is technically still in our solar system, this is a massive feat.

The heliopause is a sort of border between the Sun’s solar wind and the outside. In the heliopause, there is a great shift in the environment, especially in temperature. It was fascinating for the scientists in charge of the Voyager project to start receiving the increase of cosmic rays and other data that indicated that the probe was near the heliopause. 

Earth is only one planet inside a solar system of eight planets that surround a star, which we commonly know as the sun. However, there are many other things in our system, such as an asteroid belt, moons, comets, and our very own dwarf planet, Pluto. 

Not everything has been smooth traveling for Voyager 2. On several occasions, the probe has faced errors and malfunctions, and in 2019 the probe was incommunicative for about eight months. 

Voyager 2 surpassed its original mission, which was to explore the four outer planets in our solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It made grand discoveries and provided a lot of information that put experts around the world have been in awe.

Although the primary mission of both Voyagers was clear, NASA made sure to construct probes that would endure leaving the heliosphere. Knowing it was a difficult and lengthy task, they were optimistic they would be able to reach the borders of the system.

Although the probes are identical in construction, there were a few differences that made the launch of both probes essential for the mission. First, they would take different routes around the planets. Hence why Voyager 1 was only able to visit Jupiter and Saturn, whilst Voyager 2 visited Uranus and Neptune as well. 

The Voyagers don’t only carry scientific tools. There are more things than rocks and gas on earth—there’s also something more romantic about life on Earth. So they equipped the probe with a record, “The Voyager Golden Record.”

With the intention of representing the diversity of human culture, a lot of songs were included. Amongst them are Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Tsuru No Sugomori, Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, and, controversially, Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode.

“The Voyager spacecraft will be encountered, and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet.” said Carl Sagan when interviewed about the record. 

The capsule didn’t only include music. A series of pictures and illustrations also portray different aspects of life on the planet. Some pictures were scientific and mathematical in nature, while others were portrayals of life on earth, natural landscapes, and cultural artifacts. 

As uncertain as throwing a message in a bottle in the vast ocean cosmos—we have achieved so much in such a short time on Earth compared to the ancient stars. Carl Sagan said: “We wanted to leave a legacy of our thoughts, our wisdom, and our feelings.

Jimmy Carter, the president of the United States at the time, recorded a message for the aliens. Where he referred to humans as “The children of planet Earth.” He then continued explaining the reason behind his message. 

After conducting outstanding flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 2 successfully visited Uranus. In 1986, we were able to see close pictures of the planet for the first time ever. It unveiled 11 new moons, two new rings, and a ring invisible to the human eye.

It’s no secret that to leave the solar system promptly, it’s necessary to gain an incredible amount of speed. Throughout the 70s, there were many attempts to do so. Voyager 2 was designed with the specific requirements to achieve this goal.

The information the Voyager program has unveiled is of enormous magnitude. The data and pictures revealed some incredible facts that will help scientists understand our giant neighbors much better.

The Voyager 1 reached Jupiter in 1979 and started sending riveting information back to Earth. The most intriguing fact was the discovery of active volcanoes on the planet’s surface, revealing that the planet is geologically alive, so to speak.

Jupiter’s moon, Io, surprised scientists when the Voyagers were passing Jupiter. Not only is this moon immense, but it also has volcanic activity.  It was the first time an active volcano was found in a celestial body that wasn’t a planet. 

The Voyagers arrived in Saturn a year apart, in 1980 and 1981, respectively. But the discoveries made by these probes would last a lifetime. They found new moons, a new ring, a new ring division, and lightning! They also recorded a weaker magnetic field around the planet than Earth’s. 

Voyager 2 was the probe in charge of taking high-resolution pictures of Saturn, and the results were breathtaking. The discoveries made on the rings were also revealing of their nature. 

Apparently, within the rings are moonlets. They apparently maintain the integral structure of the rings and their divisions. 

Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System. It is 95 times bigger than Earth, but in density, it is incredibly lighter. This is because it is a gas planet composed mainly of Helium and Hydrogen. No wonder they call it a gas giant. 

Another incredible discovery was that Saturn’s day is 11 Earth hours long. Being such a massive planet, it seems like it should be longer compared to our planet. The probes’ trip was able to capture data about the planet’s rotation speed, mass, distance from the sun, and the planet’s orbit.  

There was a lot of curiosity about Titan, Saturn’s biggest moon. They designed Voyager 2’s trip specifically to make a flyby around it in case Voyager 1 didn’t manage to. And it was an absolute success.

After successfully observing Titan, the Voyagers set off to different paths. Voyager 2 continued its course to Uranus, while Voyager 1 ventured to the edges of the solar system and onwards to outer space. 

In 2012, the signal was received on Earth that Voyager 1 had finally reached interstellar space, being the first human-made object to do so. It was an accomplishment that had taken decades and a number of highly skilled scientists, engineers, and other NASA professionals. 

While Voyager 1 was heading to the unknown, Voyager 2 continued its path toward Uranus. The probe was the first to reach the giant planet, and it continues to hold the record for being the only spacecraft to have ever done so. 

In 1989, Voyager 2 reached Neptune, the last of the planets in our solar system, and an impressive sight for humankind. It discovered several new moons, a magnetic field, a ring system that is embedded into a dust cloud, and a thin, gassy atmosphere. 

After a successful tour throughout the furthermost planets of the system, Voyager 2 would now go on to uncharted territory, joining Voyager 1 in interstellar space, past the heliosphere. They are now on an extended scientific assignment.

Finally, in December 2018, after detecting many short spikes of cosmic rays, it was confirmed that Voyager 2 had left the heliopause and entered interstellar space. The main instrument for this was the Plasma Spectrometer or PLS. 

Detecting the high-energy particles from the exterior of the solar system with the plasma spectrometer was an incredible contribution to scientists; with the ability to collect this data, it will be possible to gain a lot of information for future missions.

Time In Space

It’s difficult to tell precisely how long it took for the Voyager spacecraft to leave the heliosphere. It seems to have been a matter of years, but there is no exact number to rely upon.

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What is certain is that the Voyager will continue to amaze us for at least a few more years of traveling into the unknown space between the stars. This probe will continue its mission until it runs out of fuel or loses communication with the NASA Deep Space Program. 

It’s difficult to tell precisely how long it took for the Voyager spacecraft to leave the heliosphere. It seems to have been a matter of years, but there is no exact number to rely upon.

By using a radio communication system and different frequencies of radio waves, it’s possible to maintain communication with the probe even though it’s so far from Earth. The Voyager has many antennas that transmit and receive data.

It’s been 45 years since the launch of Voyagers 1 and 2. It’s hard to tell exactly how many scientists have worked on the mission, as many generations have passed in different stations and laboratories around the world. Plus, there are many more to come. What is certain is that thousands of scientists worldwide have benefitted from the information these voyages have gathered. 

Unfortunately, missions like these don’t last forever, and in a few more years, Voyager’s lifespan will end. It is thought that in 2025, or sometime after, the Voyager will run out of energy to power the instruments it carries. 

Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have far exceeded their original design lifetimes, and even after four decades, they are still operating. They were intended to work for a minimum of five years, but because of the systems and features used, they’ve been able to withstand a lot.

Suzane Dodd, the mission project manager for the Voyager mission, has held the position since 2010 and has played a vital role in the research’s success. She coordinates the teams in the necessary direction, meeting and exceeding their objectives. It’s a very complex effort that only a highly skilled leader could partake in. 

The Voyager mission has laid the groundwork for new, exciting missions. NASA is already planning the following missions outside the heliosphere, one of them being the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP). Although this mission is still in the early stages of development, hopefully, there will be a launch date in the next year or so.