Science
Related: About this forumAfter 37 years, Voyager 1 has fired up its trajectory thrusters
At present, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is 21 billion kilometers from Earth, or about 141 times the distance between the Earth and Sun. It has, in fact, moved beyond our Solar System into interstellar space. However, we can still communicate with Voyager across that distance.
This week, the scientists and engineers on the Voyager team did something very special. They commanded the spacecraft to fire a set of four trajectory thrusters for the first time in 37 years to determine their ability to orient the spacecraft using 10-millisecond pulses.
After sending the commands on Tuesday, it took 19 hours and 35 minutes for the signal to reach Voyager. Then, the Earth-bound spacecraft team had to wait another 19 hours and 35 minutes to see if the spacecraft responded. It did. After nearly four decades of dormancy, the Aerojet Rocketdyne manufactured thrusters fired perfectly.
The Voyager team got more excited each time with each milestone in the thruster test. The mood was one of relief, joy, and incredulity after witnessing these well-rested thrusters pick up the baton as if no time had passed at all, said Todd Barber, a propulsion engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
more
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/12/after-37-years-voyager-has-fired-up-its-trajectory-thrusters/
They built those things well, didnt they?
c-rational
(2,589 posts)Ferrets are Cool
(21,104 posts)byronius
(7,391 posts)disalitervisum
(470 posts)The day(s) we launched the Voyagers should be celebrated as a holiday, as should the birthdays of Galileo, Isaac Newton, and the moon landing, among others. Maybe someday holidays like these that honor science, human progress, and reality will replace the worthless religious festivals of ignorance and superstition we have today that keep billions enslaved to the cults of death.
Bradshaw3
(7,488 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(48,965 posts)Thekaspervote
(32,710 posts)Who knows maybe it will stick!
Rabrrrrrr
(58,347 posts)sammythecat
(3,568 posts)Auggie
(31,133 posts)lastlib
(23,163 posts)but, alas, it's not because of Newton--he was born on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
And, FWIW, some (of us) celebrate the birth of Charles Darwin. Darwin Day, Feb. 12th, is gaining in popularity. Incidentally, he was born the same day as Abraham Lincoln! What a wonderful day for humanity that was!
Bradshaw3
(7,488 posts)In the 60 Minutes recent piece, one scientist said Voyager will still be travelling the universe when our sun burns out.
Fantastic Anarchist
(7,309 posts)... until it runs into a random cosmic body, ventures into a black hole, or could possibly slingshot around a gravity well produced by an ultra-dense neutron star increasing its velocity to be whisked onward further and further towards the great beyond, maybe even being able to exit our galaxy, or if we're lucky (or unlucky depending on your perspective) to be the first object ever touched by a life-form, comprised of silicon DNA molecules, who evolved on some distant planet's moon billions of years ago.
Damn, what thought.
jalan48
(13,842 posts)Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)Nationalistic pride based on our scientific prowess is so much better than that based on war. One of the things Im most proud of in our history is our landing on the moon. It might not be the most practical use of our resources, but it sure beats spending resources on killing each other.
Stryst
(714 posts)NASA! When they said "Better, faster, cheaper" they ran with it.
shenmue
(38,506 posts)TalenaGor
(1,104 posts)Fantastic Anarchist
(7,309 posts)... fending off the Borg or being trapped in fluidic space?
TalenaGor
(1,104 posts)iluvtennis
(19,835 posts)orangecrush
(19,430 posts)of spacecraft!
FirstLight
(13,357 posts)*sigh* I wish we were capable of creating something as awesome as the Space Program...like I dunno, maybe for the health of the PLANET EARTH!?
panader0
(25,816 posts)Martin Eden
(12,847 posts)For a moment or two I forgot my anger at what's happening to our country.
RKP5637
(67,088 posts)underpants
(182,628 posts)Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)built HERE in the USA - by well-educated Americans - a dwindling breed.