Posted on 01/25/2016 1:10:31 PM PST by BenLurkin
On January 24, 1986, NAS's Voyager 2 spacecraft reached Uranus. It was the first and only time we have ever visited the mysterious gas giant. 30 years ago, Voyager 2 closely studied the planet for 5.5 hours as it soared within 50,600 miles.
"We knew Uranus would be different because it's tipped on its side, and we expected surprises," said Ed Stone, project scientist for the Voyager mission. Stone continues in his role as project scientist to this day.
Much like how Pluto is surprising scientists today, Uranus stunned 30 years ago. The up-close study of the planet revealed it to be the coldest planet known in our solar system. Yep, even colder than Neptune. How? Uranus doesn’t have an internal heat source.
Voyager 2's data told scientists Uranus' atmosphere is made up of 85% hydrogen and 15% helium.
One of the biggest surprises came from Uranus’ magnetic field. It was unlike anything scientists had seen before. Most planets in our solar system (Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn) have magnetic fields aligned with their rotational axis.
"Then we got to Uranus and saw that the poles were closer to the equator," Stone said. "Neptune turned out to be similar. The magnetic field was not quite centered with the center of the planet."
... What exactly would any probe hope to accomplish? Then, the instruments needed to complete these objectives. This is the exciting part. Technology is much more advanced than it was when Voyager 2 reached Uranus in 1986. Remember, Voyager 2 launched in 1979. It was using tech that wasn't much older than the Apollo era.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsledge.com ...
Yep.
In all seriousness, we have finally restarted our plutonium production after 30 years of inactivity, so we can go back to the Outer Planets. If we don’t go to Uranus, then the Europeans will.
Potential refueling stop and free party balloons!
I’m sure Barney Frank will.
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