How far have we gone in Space ?

June 24, 2021

How far have we gone in Space ?

The answer to this question is : 22 billion km and successfully exploring the space at a speed of 17 km per second ( 38,000 mph ). This is possible because of VOYAGER 1 space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. So Before we discuss about voyager 1 , first let's talk about the voyager program.

Voyager program

It is an ongoing scientific program which involves two robotic interstellar probes known as Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of the favorable alignment of Jupiter and Saturn , to collect data and transmit back to Earth.

After the successful launch of Voyager 1 decision was taken to additionally launch Voyager 2 near Uranus and Neptune to collect and transmit the data. Although the Voyagers have moved beyond the influence of the solar wind, they still have a long way to go before exiting the Solar System.

Voyager Interstellar mission ( VIM )

The mission objective of the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM) is to extend the NASA exploration of the solar system beyond the neighborhood of the outer planets to the outer limits of the Sun's sphere of influence, and possibly beyond. Voyager 1 reached interstellar space in August 2012 and is the most distant human-made object in existence.

Data collected till now : The Voyager spacecraft revealed the enormous amount of detail in the rings of Saturn, discovered the rings of Jupiter and provided the first detailed images of the rings of Uranus and Neptune. Voyager imaged Earth's moon and discovered twenty-three new moons at the outer planets. It also clicked a picture of Earth considering it as Pale bule dot.