SpaceGhost Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-12/voyager-1-has-entered-cosmic-purgatory-where-no-probe-has-gone http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/Voyager_0.jpeg Voyager 1 One of the two identical Voyager probes, as photographed by NASA. NASA More than three decades after launching from Earth, Voyager 1 is about to leave the solar system. The probe, which was originally launched along with companion spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1977, has entered a new and uncharted region of space between our solar system and the interstellar space beyond that NASA is calling a kind of “cosmic purgatory,” the Telegraph reports. The Voyager missions were launched to study Jupiter and Saturn, but thus far they have just kept on trucking toward the far reaches of interstellar space. Each has enough fuel on board to keep going until 2020, when it is estimated Voyager 1 will be some 12.4 billion miles away from the sun. Voyager 1 is about 11 billion miles from the sun and traveling at just less than 11 miles per second, beaming back data across that distance as it goes. The cosmic purgatory is so-defined because it’s a kind of stagnation region on the cusp of the bubble that envelopes our solar system and the space beyond. Solar winds here are erratic and--for the first time--blowing back inward at Voyager. This stagnation layer was long theorized to be at the fringe of the solar system, but this is the first hard evidence of its existence out there. Voyager 1 will likely spend months to perhaps more than a year traversing the stagnation zone before emerging into interstellar space (Voyager 2 will follow). When it crosses into interstellar space, it will be the first man-made object to do so and will remain the most well-traveled man-made object in the universe. At that point we’ll get our first data back from the galactic space in between stars, and our first real glimpse of what lays beyond the confines of our own solar system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Each has enough fuel on board to keep going until 2020 & Voyager 1 is traveling at just less than 11 miles per secondIf they can power a huge chunk of metal for decades then why the fuck are we still filling up our gas tanks every week. It's a rhetorical question....stand down. First in line for Alien porn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 11 miles per second? Holy fuck that's moving. I had no idea it traveled that fast. And it's kind of crazy/creepy to just think of that thing floating along in the "cosmic purgatory." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87GT Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 If they can power a huge chunk of metal for decades then why the fuck are we still filling up our gas tanks every week. It's a rhetorical question....stand down. I don't want to stand down I want to troll! This along with the TV signals that bounced back after 47 years of being broadcast and we are 1 step closer to aliens bro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco-REX Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Countdown to V-GER http://ditl.org/gptz/GVger6.jpg and V-GINY http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l4jweburGu1qcnzjbo1_500.png Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Thank you for referencing V'Ger. That is all I could think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 11 miles per second? Holy fuck that's moving. I had no idea it traveled that fast. And it's kind of crazy/creepy to just think of that thing floating along in the "cosmic purgatory." It takes a pretty fast vehicle just to leave the earths gravity. http://www.universetoday.com/34051/escape-velocity/ For us Earthlings, the escape velocity necessary to leave Earth’s atmosphere is around 10 km per second. That is 40,000 km per hour. The only vehicles at the moment that can achieve these kinds of speeds are rockets. Even with rockets it takes an enormous amount of fuel to achieve this speed. For example just for the space shuttle to reach low orbit, it must reach a speed of 15,000 miles per hour... But to escape the Suns gravity around the same distance from the sun as the Earth is, it takes around 4 times the speed to escape Earths gravity, at Earth. Once Voyager was very far away form Earth, it's mostly going to have the gravity of the sun to deal with, other than when it passed by Jupiter and Saturn. That is until it was very far away from the sun, like right now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_velocity#List_of_escape_velocities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinHawk1647545499 Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 11 miles 60 sec 60min ----------- x --------- x ---------- = 39,600 mph sec min hour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 I kind of wonder what that speed is in relation to, i.e. from when it took off from earth or relative to the sun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWW$HEEET Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 i could still beat it from a 60 roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Apex Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 I love this kind of stuff. One day I hope to see the earth from orbit, I would give up anything and everything to do this if I have to but I want to do it more than anything I've ever wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackbar00 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Countdown to V-GER http://ditl.org/gptz/GVger6.jpg and V-GINY http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l4jweburGu1qcnzjbo1_500.png Beat me to it. Fuck.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 ^^ What are those from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffro Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) ^^ What are those from? http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/40/128842-192933-lrrr_large.jpg i am lrrrrrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8 Edited December 15, 2011 by jeffro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam1647545489 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 I got 50$ on linn from a 40 roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 I dropped my keys in that thing. No way I'm getting them back, now... Onto another thought: What if at that point of breaking though cosmic purgatory, we lose track of the satellite only to have it reappear on the other side of our solar system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyM3rC Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 I dropped my keys in that thing. No way I'm getting them back, now... Onto another thought: What if at that point of breaking though cosmic purgatory, we lose track of the satellite only to have it reappear on the other side of our solar system? The universe is round? Easy there, don't want the church burning you at the stake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Thank you for referencing V'Ger. That is all I could think of. +1. Old Skool Star Trek FTW. I am amazed at the longevity our space equipment has. Voyager is as old as I am, has been running without fault in the harshest environment (or lack thereof) known to man, and it still continues to send back data. Isn't one of the Mars rovers still working 3 years after it's expected 6-month life span? LOL at the thought of an old, dusty Atari at NASA still receiving data from Voyager. Plus, what is it sending back? HELLO ITS COLD AND DARK AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING. VOYAGER OUT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackbar00 Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 Plus, what is it sending back? http://www.macobserver.com/article/2003/12/pong.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmonda Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 If they can power a huge chunk of metal for decades then why the fuck are we still filling up our gas tanks every week. It's a rhetorical question....stand down. First in line for Alien porn. I'm a geek so sue me... Space probes like the Voyagers us radioisotope thermoelectrical generators for power. Bottom line is that they are expensive and highly controlled since you could make a dirty bomb with their fuel and they can emit harmful radiation if you don't contain them properly. So don't look for them in the next Prius. Although a case could be made for irradiating prius drivers. Now Thermoelectric Generators that rely on temperature differences alone have great promise in automotive applications. R&T did a small write up on that in this month's issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorne Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 Proxima Centaur is only 4.2 light years away http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Longshot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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