{"id":4438,"date":"2013-09-12T19:42:45","date_gmt":"2013-09-12T19:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4438"},"modified":"2013-09-12T19:42:45","modified_gmt":"2013-09-12T19:42:45","slug":"voyager-1-reaches-interstellar-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4438","title":{"rendered":"Voyager 1 reaches interstellar space"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An announcement from NASA about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/voyager\">Voyager 1<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/voyager\/voyager20130912.html#.UjIVV38yZiE\" target=\"_d\">NASA Spacecraft Embarks on Historic Journey Into Interstellar Space<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>PASADENA, Calif. &#8212; NASA&#8217;s Voyager 1 spacecraft officially is the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space. The 36-year-old probe is about 12 billion miles (19 billion kilometers) from our sun.<\/p>\n<p>New and unexpected data indicate Voyager 1 has been traveling for about one year through plasma, or ionized gas, present in the space between stars. Voyager is in a transitional region immediately outside the solar bubble, where some effects from our sun are still evident. A report on the analysis of this new data, an effort led by Don Gurnett and the plasma wave science team at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, is published in Thursday&#8217;s edition of the journal Science.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L4hf8HyP0LI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Now that we have new, key data, we believe this is mankind&#8217;s historic leap into interstellar space,&#8221; said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist based at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. &#8220;The Voyager team needed time to analyze those observations and make sense of them. But we can now answer the question we&#8217;ve all been asking &#8212; &#8216;Are we there yet?&#8217; Yes, we are.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Voyager 1 first detected the increased pressure of interstellar space on the heliosphere, the bubble of charged particles surrounding the sun that reaches far beyond the outer planets, in 2004. Scientists then ramped up their search for evidence of the spacecraft&#8217;s interstellar arrival, knowing the data analysis and interpretation could take months or years.<\/p>\n<p>Voyager 1 does not have a working plasma sensor, so scientists needed a different way to measure the spacecraft&#8217;s plasma environment to make a definitive determination of its location. A coronal mass ejection, or a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields, that erupted from the sun in March 2012 provided scientists the data they needed. When this unexpected gift from the sun eventually arrived at Voyager 1&#8217;s location 13 months later, in April 2013, the plasma around the spacecraft began to vibrate like a violin string. On April 9, Voyager 1&#8217;s plasma wave instrument detected the movement. The pitch of the oscillations helped scientists determine the density of the plasma. The particular oscillations meant the spacecraft was bathed in plasma more than 40 times denser than what they had encountered in the outer layer of the heliosphere. Density of this sort is to be expected in interstellar space.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/pia17048twovs_1.jpg?itok=0a-F7p0Y\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" alt=\"Artist's concept of Voyager 1 and 2\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/226xvariable_height\/public\/pia17048twovs_1.jpg?itok=0a-F7p0Y\" width=\"226\" height=\"127\" \/><\/a><em>Beyond the Bubble: The general locations of Voyager 1 and 2<br \/>\nare shown in this illustration at the edge of the heliosphere, the<br \/>\nbubble created by solar wind.Image Credit:\u00a0 NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The plasma wave science team reviewed its data and found an earlier, fainter set of oscillations in October and November 2012. Through extrapolation of measured plasma densities from both events, the team determined Voyager 1 first entered interstellar space in August 2012.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We literally jumped out of our seats when we saw these oscillations in our data &#8212; they showed us the spacecraft was in an entirely new region, comparable to what was expected in interstellar space, and totally different than in the solar bubble,&#8221; Gurnett said. &#8220;Clearly we had passed through the heliopause, which is the long-hypothesized boundary between the solar plasma and the interstellar plasma.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The new plasma data suggested a timeframe consistent with abrupt, durable changes in the density of energetic particles that were first detected on Aug. 25, 2012. The Voyager team generally accepts this date as the date of interstellar arrival. The charged particle and plasma changes were what would have been expected during a crossing of the heliopause.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The team\u2019s hard work to build durable spacecraft and carefully manage the Voyager spacecraft&#8217;s limited resources paid off in another first for NASA and humanity,&#8221; said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager, based at NASA&#8217;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. &#8220;We expect the fields and particles science instruments on Voyager will continue to send back data through at least 2020. We can&#8217;t wait to see what the Voyager instruments show us next about deep space.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, were launched 16 days apart in 1977. Both spacecraft flew by Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 2, launched before Voyager 1, is the longest continuously operated spacecraft. It is about 9.5 billion miles (15 billion kilometers) away from our sun.<\/p>\n<p>Voyager mission controllers still talk to or receive data from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 every day, though the emitted signals are currently very dim, at about 23 watts &#8212; the power of a refrigerator light bulb. By the time the signals get to Earth, they are a fraction of a billion-billionth of a watt. Data from Voyager 1&#8217;s instruments are transmitted to Earth typically at 160 bits per second, and captured by 34- and 70-meter NASA Deep Space Network stations. Traveling at the speed of light, a signal from Voyager 1 takes about 17 hours to travel to Earth. After the data are transmitted to JPL and processed by the science teams, Voyager data are made publicly available.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVoyager has boldly gone where no probe has gone before, marking one of the most significant technological achievements in the annals of the history of science, and adding a new chapter in human scientific dreams and endeavors,\u201d said John Grunsfeld, NASA\u2019s associate administrator for science in Washington. \u201cPerhaps some future deep space explorers will catch up with Voyager, our first interstellar envoy, and reflect on how this intrepid spacecraft helped enable their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scientists do not know when Voyager 1 will reach the undisturbed part of interstellar space where there is no influence from our sun. They also are not certain when Voyager 2 is expected to cross into interstellar space, but they believe it is not very far behind.<\/p>\n<p>JPL built and operates the twin Voyager spacecraft. The Voyagers Interstellar Mission is a part of NASA&#8217;s Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of NASA&#8217;s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. NASA&#8217;s Deep Space Network, managed by JPL, is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vDvWOkHN-9Y?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Neil deGrasse Tyson, Wil Wheaton, Carl Sagan&#8217;s son and others <\/em><br \/>\n<em>share messages to the Voyager 1 spacecraft.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The cost of the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 missions &#8212; including launch, mission operations and the spacecraft\u2019s nuclear batteries, which were provided by the Department of Energy &#8212; is about $988 million through September.<\/p>\n<p>For a sound file of the oscillations detected by Voyager in interstellar space, animations and other information, visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/voyager\">http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/voyager<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For an image of the radio signal from Voyager 1 on Feb. 21 by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory&#8217;s Very Long Baseline Array, which links telescopes from Hawaii to St. Croix, visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nrao.edu\">http:\/\/www.nrao.edu<\/a> .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An announcement from NASA about Voyager 1: NASA Spacecraft Embarks on Historic Journey Into Interstellar Space PASADENA, Calif. &#8212; NASA&#8217;s Voyager 1 spacecraft officially is the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space. The 36-year-old probe is about 12 billion miles (19 billion kilometers) from our sun. New and unexpected data indicate Voyager 1 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4438\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Voyager 1 reaches interstellar space<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-solar-science","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-19A","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17256,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=17256","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":0},"title":"Voyager 2 reaches interstellar space","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched in 1977, joins Voyager 1 in leaving the Sun's\u00a0heliosphere and entering interstellar space: NASA\u2019s Voyager 2 Probe Enters Interstellar Space https:\/\/youtu.be\/MGPM58S5Njg For the second time in history, a human-made object has reached the space between the stars. NASA\u2019s Voyager 2 probe now has exited the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=31"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final1.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3062,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3062","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":1},"title":"Voyager 1 reports from the edge of the Solar System","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is finding unexpected features in the transition between the Solar System and interstellar space: Voyager 1 Discovers Bizarre and Baffling Region at Edge of Solar System - Wired Science\/Wired.com Voyager 1 Reaches Gateway to the Galaxy \u2013 National Geographic Here is the NASA press release: NASA's\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/6agLE4Xs_3s\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9469,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9469","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":2},"title":"Video: Voyager 1 detects waves in interstellar ionized particles","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Voyager 1 \u00a0space probe\u00a0is\u00a0currently over 19.5 billion kilometers from earth and considered to be in interstellar space. It still occasionally detects waves in the extremely\u00a0thin haze of \u00a0ionize particles\u00a0that it is flying through. The waves are driven by coronal mass ejections from the sun. The Voyager 1 spacecraft has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=31"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/_u-RZTwpECg\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16246,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16246","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":3},"title":"Voyager mission posters and infographics","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The two Voyager spacecraft were launched in 1977 and successfully visited the gas giant planets of our solar system before heading out into interstellar space. The nuclear powered vehicles are still operating and sending data back to earth. Check out these\u00a0posters and infographics\u00a0from NASA JPL in celebration of the Voyager\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Space Arts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Space Arts","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/grand_tour-small1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4599,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4599","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":4},"title":"So where exactly is Voyager 1 with respect to the Solar System?","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A reader points to this discussion of where the Voyager 1 spacecraft is with respect to our solar system, the heliosphere , the Oort cloud, and interstellar space, a topic on which recent reports may have left some people confused:\u00a0 What's the deal with Voyager 1? - The Maddow Blog\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"This artist's concept shows NASA's Voyager spacecraft against a backdrop of stars.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/images\/voyager\/20130912b\/pia17046-640.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14902,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14902","url_meta":{"origin":4438,"position":5},"title":"Videos: 40th Anniversary of the Voyager missions","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"To mark the 40 years of the flights of the two\u00a0Voyager spacecraft through the solar system and into interstellar space, NASA held an event with several of the scientists involved in the project to discuss what it has accomplished: https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZmcZZbfb0EY This segment with William Shatner is about public messages transmitted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/ZmcZZbfb0EY\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4439,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438\/revisions\/4439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}