{"id":133236,"date":"2024-12-04T14:34:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T07:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=133236"},"modified":"2024-12-04T14:34:23","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T07:34:23","slug":"the-voyagers-may-go-dark-in-five-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=133236","title":{"rendered":"The Voyagers May Go Dark in Five Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-collection_box text-center\">\n<div class=\"article-collection_img\">\n                  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.nautil.us\/sites\/3\/nautilus\/VVcT4Zdm-ThePorthole.png?auto=compress&amp;fm=png&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1?q=65&amp;fit=crop&amp;h=110&amp;w=75\"\/>\n                <\/div>\n<p>                <a class=\"article-collection_link\" data-ev-cat=\"article\" data-ev-act=\"explore\" data-ev-label=\"top - left\" href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/the-porthole\/\"><br \/>\n                  Explore<span class=\"icon-arrow-forward\"\/><br \/>\n                <\/a>\n              <\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dropcap\">W<\/span>hen the two Voyager probes launched into space in 1977, they were headed to uncharted territory. It was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.princeton.edu\/news\/2022\/12\/15\/nasas-voyager-next-generation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first time<\/a> humanity had sent robot spacecraft to study up close the four giant outer planets of our solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Stunning images and scientific data captured by the probes over the next few decades <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/voyager\/fact-sheet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">altered our understanding<\/a> of the cosmos. <\/p>\n<p>Through the Voyagers, we learned of Jupiter\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/jupiters-incredible-shrinking-spot-738409\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turbulent atmosphere<\/a>, the tilted magnetic field of <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/the-planets-with-the-giant-diamonds-inside-238243\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Uranus<\/a>, a rotating storm on Neptune called the Great Dark Spot, and Saturn\u2019s dynamic rings. We also discovered 23 new moons of the outer planets and found that these moons were not the dead, frozen worlds scientists had suspected. Saturn\u2019s moons appeared to be composed mostly of water ice, while active volcanoes on Jupiter\u2019s moon Io spewed lava dozens of miles high. Eventually, the two spacecraft would <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/voyager\/timeline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explore<\/a> not just the four giant planets, but 48 of their moons, as well as the rings, atmospheres, and magnetic fields those planets possess.<\/p>\n<p>Once the Voyagers\u2019 tour of the four planets was complete in 1990, the world\u2019s attention faded; but the probes continued to provide remarkable insights into the dynamics of the solar system, including ultraviolet sources among the stars and the boundary between the sun\u2019s influence and interstellar space. Even today, both probes continue sending back data about the interstellar medium, the space between the stars, says Linda Spilker, NASA\u2019s project scientist for the Voyager missions\u2014including precise measurements of the density and temperature of the thin ionized gases it contains and the incidence of high-energy cosmic rays.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Some experts give the Voyagers only about five years before we lose contact.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>More than 45 years after they first launched, the Voyagers are now NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/voyager-nasas-longest-lived-mission-logs-45-years-in-space\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">longest-lived mission<\/a> and the most distant human-made objects from the Earth\u2014but they will one day soon go offline and drift silently into the final frontier, perhaps for eternity. NASA has been progressively shutting down the instruments and cameras on the spacecraft for decades, to extend their working lives to the limit by using as little electricity as possible. One of Voyager 1\u2019s last photographs, for example, was the famous \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/life-beyond-the-pale-blue-dot-235524\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pale Blue Dot<\/a>\u201d taken in 1990, shortly before its cameras were powered off forever. And since the late 1990s, engineers have commanded both Voyagers to shut down instruments related to plasma science, the strength of electromagnetic fields, and the analysis of starlight.<\/p>\n<p>Some experts give the Voyagers only about five years before we lose contact. \u201cThere\u2019s been a big push to try to keep the mission going until the 50th anniversary of their launches,\u201d in 2027, says Johns Hopkins space scientist Ralph McNutt, who witnessed the Voyager 1 launch from Florida\u2019s Cape Canaveral in 1977 and has been involved with the Voyager missions throughout his career. \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-ad\">\n<p>ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-ad__cta\">\n        Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience.<br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/concierge-login\" data-ev-act=\"login\" data-ev-cat=\"article-ad\" data-ev-label=\"in body ad\"><br \/>\n          Log in<br \/>\n        <\/a><br \/>\n        or<br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/join\" data-ev-act=\"subscribe\" data-ev-cat=\"article-ad\" data-ev-label=\"in body ad\"><br \/>\n          Join now<br \/>\n        <\/a>.\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/voyager\/where-are-voyager-1-and-voyager-2-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to NASA<\/a>, Voyager 1 is now more than 15 billion miles from Earth, about three times the average orbit of Pluto, where radio signals take about 23 hours to reach it; while its twin Voyager 2 is almost 13 billion miles away. The probes are still in fragile radio contact with Earth, and their instruments show both have passed the \u201cheliopause\u201d\u2014the theoretical outer edge of the solar system, where the wind of charged particles from the sun finally comes to an end. They are now drifting through interstellar space.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"642\" alt=\"In Body Image\" class=\"wp-image-1166795\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.nautil.us\/sites\/3\/nautilus\/bdRPs3sj-Metcalfe_BREAKER.png?auto=compress&amp;fit=scale&amp;fm=png&amp;h=822&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=large\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.nautil.us\/sites\/3\/nautilus\/bdRPs3sj-Metcalfe_BREAKER.png?q=65&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1600 800w,https:\/\/assets.nautil.us\/sites\/3\/nautilus\/bdRPs3sj-Metcalfe_BREAKER.png?q=65&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1200 600w,https:\/\/assets.nautil.us\/sites\/3\/nautilus\/bdRPs3sj-Metcalfe_BREAKER.png?q=65&amp;auto=format&amp;w=800 400w\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>LISTENING TO THE COSMOS:<\/strong> This archival photo from 1976 shows a NASA engineer working on one of Voyager\u2019s dish-shaped antenna, which are used to send scientific data back to Earth from the spacecraft. The \u201chigh-gain\u201d antennae transmit signals over vast distances and point toward Earth no matter where they are in space. <em>Photo by NASA \/ JPL-Caltech<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But the probes are running critically short of electricity from what are called their \u201cnuclear batteries\u201d\u2014actually radioisotope thermoelectric generators that make electricity from the radioactive decay of plutonium. \u00a0The fading power of the probes and the difficulties of making contact over more than 10 billion miles means that, one day soon, one or other of the Voyagers won\u2019t answer NASA\u2019s daily attempts to communicate via the Deep Space Network of radio dishes. Both probes use heaters to keep key instruments warm and keep the hydrazine in the fuel lines liquid: When the fuel freezes up, the probes won\u2019t be able to use their thrusters to keep their main radio antennae pointed at the Earth, and their communications will come to an end.<\/p>\n<p>Newer space probes are now exploring the outer reaches of the solar system, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/new-horizons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Horizons mission to Pluto<\/a>. McNutt is overseeing an instrument on that probe, which is now heading for the \u201ctermination shock\u201d where the solar wind first impacts the interstellar medium, about 5.5 billion miles from the Earth\u2014almost twice the distance from Earth to Pluto. He\u2019s also one of the principal scientists behind the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0094576522001503\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Interstellar Probe<\/a> proposal, which could launch as soon as 2036. Its technology will be 50 years more advanced than the Voyagers, and it could reach the same distance in half the time.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-ad\">\n<p>ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-ad__cta\">\n        Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience.<br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/concierge-login\" data-ev-act=\"login\" data-ev-cat=\"article-ad\" data-ev-label=\"in body ad\"><br \/>\n          Log in<br \/>\n        <\/a><br \/>\n        or<br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/join\" data-ev-act=\"subscribe\" data-ev-cat=\"article-ad\" data-ev-label=\"in body ad\"><br \/>\n          Join now<br \/>\n        <\/a>.\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>For McNutt, it\u2019s a \u201cpleasant surprise\u201d that the Voyagers are still working after all these years: \u201cI joke with people: If you go back and look at the original papers, the Voyagers were designed to work for four and a half years,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve outlived the warranty by a factor of 10.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even when the Voyagers can no longer communicate with Earth, it will not be the end of their mission. Both probes bear the famous 12-inch \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/voyager\/voyager-golden-record-overview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">golden record<\/a>\u201d of the sounds of Earth, greetings in more than 50 languages, music by Mozart and Chuck Berry, and a star map showing how to get here. The designers of the probe hoped that one day these records might be played by alien spacefarers far from Earth.<\/p>\n<p>And their hopes may someday come true: Voyager 1 will get relatively near a star in the constellation Camelopardalis in about 40,000 years, while Voyager 2 will near a star in the constellation Andromeda at about the same time. It\u2019s possible that the Voyagers may one day be overtaken by newer probes from Earth, but for now they are humanity\u2019s ambassadors to the stars; when their communications to the Earth cease, that will become their final mission. <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13765\" src=\"width: 14px;\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p><em>Lead image: Dotted Yeti \/ Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-ad\">\n<p>ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-ad__cta\">\n        Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience.<br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/concierge-login\" data-ev-act=\"login\" data-ev-cat=\"article-ad\" data-ev-label=\"in body ad\"><br \/>\n          Log in<br \/>\n        <\/a><br \/>\n        or<br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/join\" data-ev-act=\"subscribe\" data-ev-cat=\"article-ad\" data-ev-label=\"in body ad\"><br \/>\n          Join now<br \/>\n        <\/a>.\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul class=\"article-author padd-left-none channel-article-author channel-article-author-visible\">\n<li class=\"article-author-box\">\n<div class=\"author-detail\">\n<h6 class=\"article-author-name margin-v-none\">\n                          Tom Metcalfe                        <\/h6>\n<p class=\"article-author-date margin-bottom-none\">\n                          Posted on <time datetime=\"2024-12-03T14:34:38-06:00\">December 3, 2024<\/time>\n                        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-author-bio margin-bottom-none\">\n                            Tom Metcalfe is a science journalist based in London, where he writes mainly about space, energy, archaeology, Earth, and the oceans. He has written for <i>Scientific American, National Geographic, Live Science, NBC News, BBC News,<\/i> and others.                          <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"article-bottom-newsletter_box\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/wp-content\/themes\/nautilus-block-theme\/images\/icons\/logo-icon.svg\" alt=\"new_letter\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"article--news_msg margin-v-none\">\n<h4 class=\"margin-top-none\">Get the Nautilus newsletter<\/h4>\n<p class=\"margin-v-none\">Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the very brightest living thinkers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script  type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\t\t\t\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\t\t\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\n\t\t\t\t\tn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\t\t\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\n\t\t\t\t\tdocument,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\t\t<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/voyagers-ready-to-go-dark-1166780\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore When the two Voyager probes launched into space in 1977, they were headed to uncharted territory. It was the first time humanity had sent robot spacecraft to study up &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=133236\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=133236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133236\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=133236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=133236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=133236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}