Babbling

[Glodson]

http://www.universetoday.com/95844/voyager-1-breaking-through-the
-borders-of-the-solar-system/

Soon Voyager 1 will be the first man-made object to leave our Solar System. It has been steadily experiencing greater levels of cosmic radiation. Soon it should leave our Sun's protective bubble.

[QuantumMechanics]

This seriously gets reported every three months.

[QuantumMechanics]

Here it is from 2003: http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/11/05/voyager.solar.bounda
ry/

You can literally count up every few months from then (9 years ago) and see the same exact "about to leave the solar system" story. And, it's not actually leaving for like another 5-10 years last I heard..

[chelydra]

The recent data trends are very interesting.
Here's to that probe's eternal journey.

[Setsuka]

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chelydra wrote:
Here's to that probe's eternal journey.

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Words to live by.

[Glodson]

The satellite is reaching the end of the Sun's influence. The edge of the heliosphere that shields our system from the cosmic radiation. Defining the edge of the Solar System can vary.

Right now, Voyager is leaving the last possible way of defining the edge of the solar system. The Sun's influence won't be have any effect on Voyager. And even this boundary doesn't have a hard end as it is the last vestiges of the Sun's magnetic field and the solar wind that forms a bubble. But still, exiting that will be the absolute end of the solar system.

And the reports change as we come to better understand what our Sun can do, and what we should consider apart if the solar system. As Voyager 1 & 2 leave us, we learn more which refines how we see the universe and our sokar system.

[QuantumMechanics]

Yes, I'm just saying that this has been reported many times over the years.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-06/voyager-probes-migh
t-cross-interstellar-boundary-any-d...
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/1214/Voyager-1-spacecraft-e
ntering-heliopause-leaving-solar-wi...
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1112/06voyager/

This same story will be in the news about November this year. Then again probably around April of 2013, then again a few months later. I get it's a large loosely defined "edge", but for years now it's been the same report.

also, heh: http://boards.adultswim.com/t5/Incoherent-Babbling/Voyager-1-is-a
bout-to-leave-the-solar-system/m-p/... seems i repeat myself as well..



And, isn't the Oort cloud the "boundary" of the solar system anyway?

[KuroKiri]

It took 35 years to get there. Man, what a flight.

[KuroKiri]

You know when you think about it this is bonus material from the spacecraft. It wasn't designed to still be transmitting data this long. Even though it's propulsion and cameras gave out some time ago the fact that this mission is reaching a new and totally unplanned phase giving us information about the outer heliosphere is incredible luck.

[1938_Packard]

What the Hell did we send that thing up for, anyway?  So the aliens can find us?

Aliens find it:  "Hey, Klixoplap!  Look at this... more cattle and they were dumb enough to leave us a map!"

[olmoldy]

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1938_Packard wrote:

What the Hell did we send that thing up for, anyway?  So the aliens can find us?

Aliens find it:  "Hey, Klixoplap!  Look at this... more cattle and they were dumb enough to leave us a map!"

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NO! NO! It's so, we can have a bald intergalactic traveler merge with it at some later date, and then have space sex with a star ship captain!

 VYGER!

[KuroKiri]

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1938_Packard wrote:

What the Hell did we send that thing up for, anyway?

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To see our solar system like never before.

[some_clever_alias]

Naw man, it's like totally an alien beacon. NASA's calling the mothership home.

Seriously though: I'm pleasantly surprised that Voyager1 still works. I say that each time I hear about it edging closer to our solar system boundary. Pretty amazing, I think, considering when it was built and its life expectancy at the time.

[KuroKiri]

About a year ago when it's primary propulsion ran out of gas I thought that was pretty much it. I didn't know it was still transmitting information from it's sensor array. I know the camera went dead a long time ago too. I think the guys at JPL got much more than their money's worth on this flight.

[GinaSzanboti]

It makes me sad, thinking about it out there all alone in the cold darkness, blind, crippled, and yet still faithfully sending back what data it can.  When it finally dies, we won't even know until a day later. 

[RectumSpecs]

Eventually, we will make first contact with the Vulcans.

[the_raytownian]

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some_clever_alias wrote:
Naw man, it's like totally an alien beacon.

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I read alien bacon at first.
Want to try.

[KuroKiri]

Have you guys ever seen this?

It's a NASA interactive showing you the current locations of all satellites in the solar system and their relative distance. Pretty cool stuff.

[scoobdog]

And with that, the legend of V'Ger is born.

[some_clever_alias]

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the_raytownian wrote:

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some_clever_alias wrote:
Naw man, it's like totally an alien beacon.

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I read alien bacon at first.
Want to try.

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Funny: I accidentally typed "bacon" when I first wrote that. Then I couldn't stop thinking about what pigs on other planets might look like. If Voyager1 does lure aliens to Earth, and a group of humans are chosen to attend some sort of meet & greet, and I'm among those humans, and we get to ask and answer questions, then my first question will be "Do you have bacon on your planet?" That question should evolve to an educational discussion about Earth bacon and pigs, and their alien counterparts. Now that's what I call intergalactic discovery.


KuroKiri: I have seen that, but thanks for linking to it because it deserves attention. NASA's site is full of neat stuff.

Related note: I have an iPhone app (Star Walk) that shows satellites, among other things, that are overhead in my current location. It's fun to use with other folks who like to stargaze.

Space is cool.