Two spaceships launched 25 years ago are about to cross a border that has never been crossed before - the solar system; carrying greetings in 55 languages in case they encounter aliens; After the connection with them is severed, they will sail in space forever
By: Tamara Traubman, Haaretz
About 25 years ago, two spacecraft were launched from Earth - Voyager-1 and Voyager-2. Their original mission was to study the giant planets located at the edges of the solar system. Masan was supposed to last 12 years, but thanks to their surprising durability and the ingenuity of the project's engineers and scientists, they continue to cruise through space.
The two visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; They broadcast spectacular images of pastel colored streaks surrounding Jupiter's atmosphere and revealed active volcanoes on Io - one of Jupiter's moons. In addition, they collected data on 47 other moons of the distant planets, and studied the ring system and magnetic fields surrounding them.
The spaceships carry with them blessings intended for extraterrestrial beings, in case they happen to be on their way. Among other things, there are recordings of voices and figures representing the variety of life and cultures on Earth, as well as greetings in 55 languages.
Leave Pluto behind
Voyager-1 is today about 12.7 billion kilometers from Earth and moves at a speed of about 62 thousand km/h; Voyager-2 is about 10.1 billion kilometers away, and is moving at a speed of about 57 thousand km/h.
Now they are on their way to a place where no spacecraft has been. "Their current mission is to find and cross the boundary of the solar system, and transmit data about the interstellar fields, particles and waves that are outside the sphere of influence of the sun," explained Dr. Edward Stone, the chief scientist of the Voyager project, in an official announcement published yesterday by Nas "A.
The spacecraft have already left behind the most distant planet in the solar system - Pluto. No one knows for sure where exactly the boundary of the solar system is, but the people of the Voyager project estimate that the spacecraft will cross it in three or four years, reaching a distance of about 15 billion kilometers from Earth.
NASA claims that the spacecraft must complete their mission before their electrical power runs out, "around 2020". In the meantime, they say in the ground control, "all indications show that they will succeed in doing this". According to Dr. Stone, even after all their devices bleed, and their connection with Earth is severed, "the spaceships will continue sailing forever, far into interstellar space."
