NASA’s Longest-Lived Mission: Voyager Probes Log 45 Years in Space

Scitech Daily ^ | AUGUST 19, 2022 | By JET PROPULSION LABORATORY

[Vaduz]

It’s why it still works nothing to gum things up.

[EEGator]

Yep, quite fantastic. We are seriously moving towards Idiocracy.

[dragnet2]

I was referring to space exploration far beyond the moon, where unmanned spacecraft are the only way we currently have to explore and learn. Unmanned spacecraft often go where man cannot for various reasons.

Btw, I believe the U.S. should have had an exploration base on the lunar surface decades ago. We can thank the corrupt politicians for this.

[EVO X]

I’m curious... Neptune photo from 1989 and then uranus from 1986... somethin aint right...

I caught that as well. The article was likely written by a bot.

[Dr. Franklin]

They each carry an eight-track tape player for recording data...

I am sure that when the aliens find that 8-track tape, they will laugh their asses off at how primitive we were. We are so much more advanced now!

[M Kehoe]

I can’t imagine operating in an absolute zero environment.

The shrinkage would be epic.

George Costanza

5.56mm

[texas booster]

We were cleaning out the garage and found my “Neptune at Night” VCR tapes recorded off over the air TV, PBS 13.

My kids were both amazed that anyone would record that show (8 hours all night IIRC), and that anyone would ever think they would actually want too watch it again (hence the recording).

I expect that it will be saved in my casket when I pass.

[zeugma]

These are two of the most amazing craft we ever put into space. Totally amazing that they are still functional at all, and even more amazing that we can still pick up their signals over the background radiation, given their puny broadcasting power.

Back in the day NASA used to make seriously hardy craft. The Mars lander Viking, performed for years beyond its intended lifespan. In fact, it could have gone far longer. NASA sent it a command to shut it down because they ran out of money to continue receiving data from it. We don't know how long it would have continued giving us regular weather reports. (something that would have been worth funding IMO)

BTW, Mars is the only planet we know of that is entirely populated by robots.

[SunkenCiv]

The important part, how old will it be when the AI aliens find it?

[beef]

Both the Voyagers and the Pioneers carried artifacts relating to their makers (us), but not the only other probe to leave the solar system - New Horizons. There was some talk a while back of loading it’s memory up with info about us, but I don’t think anything came of it. I guess you need someone like Carl Sagan to drive a project like that.

[SunkenCiv]

NASA used to use an Apple II as a smart terminal to communicate with Voyager via the dish.

[Red Badger]

Location, location, location!.......................

[Red Badger]

http://vintage.failed-dam.org/code.htm

[Red Badger]

They were BOTH ‘launched’ in 1977!.......................

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, I remember it.

[Red Badger]

Almost bought one...............