Here's Woodstock for ya.
Posted on 12/14/2010 8:59:21 AM PST by Artemis Webb
WASHINGTON (AFP) – NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has reached the outer edge of the solar system where wind from the Sun is no longer blowing outward, but sideways, the US space agency said.
The spacecraft was launched in 1977 and has since snapped images of Earth and other planets in the solar system and provided NASA with crucial information as it makes its long journey into outer space.
NASA researchers think Voyager 1 will leave the solar system and enter interstellar space, or the area in between the end of the Sun's influence and the next star system, in about four years.
For now, Voyager 1 is 17.4 billion kilometers (10.8 billion miles) from the Sun in "an area where the velocity of the hot ionized gas, or plasma, emanating directly outward from the sun has slowed to zero," the space agency said.
"Scientists suspect the solar wind has been turned sideways by the pressure from the interstellar wind in the region between stars."
NASA noticed that the solar wind's outward speed had slowed to zero back in June, but wanted to look at readings from Voyager 1 over the next four months to be sure.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
PopSci did an article on just that every thing a while back. Truly, it was amazing.
If I remember right, it broadcasts at a little over a watt. NASA's receivers must be pretty impressive to pick that up out of the clutter.
Chuck has some serious issues. He belongs in outer space.
To put it in perspective, Voyager 1 is nearly 4 times the distance from the Sun as the distance between the Sun and Neptune. The effective power of the transmitted signal is about 1/16 (6%) of the power when Voyager was at the orbit of Neptune.
Then there is this. Last time I got reimbursed for POV mileage at government rates, I got 50 cents a mile. The Voyager will have to travel another 25 billion miles, at present velocity, or 77 more years, before NASA can claim reimbursable mileage from Voyager to cover this year’s NASA budget.
And it only had to travel 10.8 billion miles over 33 years to find out the solar winds are zero out there.
Just sayin’
The NappyOne
I am sure its the only voice calling us in English....
//sarcasm off
“I am in you and you are in Me.” Paraphrasing
NOT original. ;)
“I’ll be back”
“...in about four years.”
So why post this non-story now?
I can’t keep up with technology....
Houston -- NASA directors announced a new amalgum of sorely needed efforts to study the impact and significance of "Voyager," particularly with its sensor recordings dealing with Earth Global Warming [er] Climate Change.
As Obama nominated NASA Director of Bullshitheitgefuhrer, Herr Direktor Sphinktor explains, "Vee muss retrieveshchung diese data und incorporatchimeinikechung diese results im der catalogie fur das Climatishergefraudgemineishigusung Bibliotecha!"
Well, it may not be original but I’ve been saying it since the 1970s.
Two reasons really. One is because it's not a “non-story”. Voyager has hit a benchmark where plasma from the sun is no longer hitting it directly. This makes it a space science news story regardless of your interest in it and regardless of your opinion.
The second reason is to annoy any bored idiots that might come on this thread asking stupid questions like “So why post this non-story now?”
About 17 hours.
That's almost as bad as my service provider.
Ok. Space is always so confusing to me. Let me try to explain my confusion. Say for example all the the planets in the solar system were lined up on a horizontal plane, going East to West. If you launched a probe that exited Earth at the North Pole and kept going North, wouldn’t you be “out of the solar system” in about an hour?
Good for you. Been saying it here as well, and reading it said various, and assorted reads along the way.
It’s an accepted analogy me thinks, as many famous science fiction is based upon, and loosely upon the concept.
That silly little grin makes me think Woodstock has just had a doob.
They must be using dial up.....
Nope. It would take the same amount of time that it has taken V’ger. The Solar System is very large.
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