Voyager 2 finds solar system is uneven

[Redleader34]

Damn, that probe is hardworking. I wonder how much would it cost to build a new model based on the plans...

Voyager 2 finds solar system is uneven By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer
Tue Dec 11, 12:46 AM ET



New observations from NASA's long-running Voyager 2 spacecraft show the solar system is asymmetrical, likely from disturbances in the interstellar magnetic field, scientists reported Monday.

The discovery came after the 30-year-old unmanned probe sailed near the edge of the solar system this past summer following its twin, Voyager 1, which reached that part of space in 2004.

Researchers have long suspected the solar system was bent, but never had direct evidence until now, said Voyager mission scientist Edward Stone of the California Institute of Technology.

Voyager 2 crossed a barrier in the solar system known as the termination shock in August, some 10 billion miles from where Voyager 1 passed through. The termination shock is the region where charged particles from the sun abruptly slow down as they collide with other particles and a magnetic field in interstellar gas.

Scientists believe the unevenness is caused by the interstellar magnetic field that is pitched at an angle to the plane of the Milky Way.

"The magnetic field is disturbing an otherwise spherical surface," Stone said at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

Although Voyager 2 was the second probe to zip past the termination shock, scientists were nonetheless excited about the milestone. Unlike its twin, Voyager 2 had a working instrument that made the first direct measurements of the speed and temperature of the solar wind.

The nuclear-powered Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, are hurtling toward an uncharted region of space where the sun's influence wanes.

Voyager 1, the most distant of any manmade object, is traveling at 10 miles per second with its twin trailing close behind.

It will take about a decade before the probes reach the heliopause, marking the beginning of interstellar space and the end of our solar system.

[LadyTevar]

And Happy Birthday to them both... 30 years and still going.

Wonder if the Mars Probes Spirit and Opportunity will make that?

[FSTargetDrone]

And Happy Birthday to them both... 30 years and still going.

Wonder if the Mars Probes Spirit and Opportunity will make that?

Currently:

As of sol 1388 (Nov. 28, 2007), Spirit's total odometry was 7438.82 meters (4.62 miles).

As of sol 1374 (Dec. 5, 2007), Opportunity's total odometry remained at 11,584.32 meters (7.2 miles), where the rover has been stationed since the last drive on Sol 1329 (Oct. 20, 2007).

Spirit has lasted 1310 sols beyond what was planned and Opportunity has 1290 sols. That's really impressive in its own right, and both machines are still mobile and continue to provide data. Aside from mechanical issues (one of Spirit's 6 wheels is no longer working) and the all-important problem of dust on the solar panels, they are in reasonably good shape. NASA has extended the mission at least 5 times now. I doubt they will make it 30 years, but however long they last, I hope JPL has the funding to drive those machines into the ground.

[Phantasee]

Nuclear powered, eh? We ought to pop up a couple more like them, but send them straight out (or sling shot them if it's faster/more efficient) to see if they can get to the "thar be lions" territory before 30 years themselves.

[FSTargetDrone]

Nuclear powered, eh? We ought to pop up a couple more like them, but send them straight out (or sling shot them if it's faster/more efficient) to see if they can get to the "thar be lions" territory before 30 years themselves.

"'Nuc-u-lar'. It's pronounced 'nuc-u-lar'".

Power was provided to the spacecraft systems and instruments through the use of three radioisotope thermoelectric generators. The RTGs were assembled in tandem on a deployable boom hinged on an outrigger arrangement of struts attached to the basic structure. Each RTG unit, contained in a beryllium outer case, was 40.6 cm in diameter, 50.8 cm in length, and weighed 39 kg. The RTGs used a radioactive source (Plutonium-238 in the form of plutonium oxide, or PuO2, in this case) which, as it decayed, gave off heat. A bi-metallic thermoelectric device was used to convert the heat to electric power for the spacecraft. The total output of RTGs slowly decreases with time as the radioactive material is expended. Therefore, although the initial output of the RTGs on Voyager was approximately 470 W of 30 V DC power at launch, it had fallen off to approximately 335 W by the beginning of 1997 (about 19.5 years post-launch). As power continues to decrease, power loads on the spacecraft must also decrease. Current estimates (1998) are that increasingly limited instrument operations can be carried out at least until 2020.

[Chris OFarrell]

I think Spirit and Opportunity are lucky, in that a couple of times the solar panels which were getting covered with so much dust to do anything, but they were cleaned off by Martian wind storms and restored the units to full power.

Still, these two rovers need to be recovered at some point in the future when we get the Martian base set up, returned to Earth and put on display as 'The little Rovers that Could'.

THey are seriously awesome pieces of equipment.

[Vympel]

They'll probably have been destroyed by the elements by then, surely?

[FSTargetDrone]

I think Spirit and Opportunity are lucky, in that a couple of times the solar panels which were getting covered with so much dust to do anything, but they were cleaned off by Martian wind storms and restored the units to full power.

Still, these two rovers need to be recovered at some point in the future when we get the Martian base set up, returned to Earth and put on display as 'The little Rovers that Could'.

THey are seriously awesome pieces of equipment.

Check out how much dust...

Hey kids, can you find the Mars Rover in the picture?

[Phantasee]

Holy shit, it's camoflauged! We're invading Mars guys!

Link to the full size?

[White Haven]

They'll probably have been destroyed by the elements by then, surely?

Disabled, in all likelihood, but destroyed? I doubt it.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Actually, one was destroyed as this final transmission shows, but it was classified "above top secret", whatever that means.

[FSTargetDrone]

Holy shit, it's camoflauged! We're invading Mars guys!

Link to the full size?

Sure. Actually, check it out here. There are links to several images of different sizes, including a large 9.2 MB file! It's just at the end of the "Dusty Solar Panels on Spirit" article.

Here's the main JPL Rover Mission website. Lots of good links and pics there too.

[Crossroads Inc.]

In terms of Distance via a Single, how far out is VOyager? As in, if oyu sent a Radio single, whats its ETA ?

[FSTargetDrone]

In terms of Distance via a Single, how far out is VOyager? As in, if oyu sent a Radio single, whats its ETA ?

Straight from the source!

As of July 2, 2007, at the speed of light, it takes 14 hours and 12 minutes for a signal from Voyager 1 to travel over 103 AU to reach one of the giant antennas of the DSN, and 11 hours and 24 minutes for Voyager 2, which is over 83 AU away.

[FSTargetDrone]

Whoops, I didn't quote everything I wanted...

The "DSN" is the Deep Space Network:

NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) has been in partnership with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 for thirty years, providing daily communications support to the two very distant spacecraft. The excellent partnership continues as the Voyager twin spacecraft explore the regions of our universe near the area where the solar wind meets the interstellar winds – areas never before explored by human-made objects.

Voyager 1 reached a historic milestone in December 2004 when it crossed the termination shock where the solar wind slows abruptly from a speed that ranges from 700,000 to 1.5 million mph. Another important milestone was reached on August 15, 2006 when Voyager 1 became 100 AU (Astronomical Unit) from the Sun! One AU is the average distance from Earth to the Sun, 150 million km, or 93 million miles.

As of July 2, 2007, at the speed of light, it takes 14 hours and 12 minutes for a signal from Voyager 1 to travel over 103 AU to reach one of the giant antennas of the DSN, and 11 hours and 24 minutes for Voyager 2, which is over 83 AU away.