Voyager Enters the Final Frontier

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rlb2

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<font color="orange">NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered the solar system's final frontier. It is entering a vast, turbulent expanse where the Sun's influence ends and the solar wind crashes into the thin gas between stars.<br /><br />Scientists agree that Voyager 1 has crossed the termination shock and is now in the heliosheath.<br /><br />The most persuasive evidence that Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock is its measurement of a sudden increase in the strength of the magnetic field carried by the solar wind, combined with an inferred decrease in its speed. This happens whenever the solar wind slows down. <br /> <br /><br />http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2005-084</font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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rlb2

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True.<br /><br />Some people have been waiting half a lifetime for this. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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jurgens

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what are you talking about dude?<br /><br />You see, in our solar system there is a solar wind caused by the sun, they basically are charged particles travelling at speeds of around 700km/s... Now when they reach a certain distance, they hit the interstellar gas surroudning or solar system. When that happens the particles slow down and their density and temperature both increase.
 
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rlb2

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I think in some of their reasoning is the way the Earth, Jupiter and Saturn behave with there magnetic fields are some of the models they use to explain it. Like you alluded to, no one knows for certain what’s out in interstellar space....until now - we now may soon have something to measure it by… <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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odysseus145

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So how long until it hits the heliopause? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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emperor_of_localgroup

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This is remarkable. Now we have a slight probability to let others in far worlds know about our existence. My question is do we still have radio contact with Voyager? If yes, how long or how far will this radio contact gonna last? Any one knows? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="2" color="#ff0000"><strong>Earth is Boring</strong></font> </div>
 
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rlb2

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<font color="orange">This is remarkable. Now we have a slight probability to let others in far worlds know about our existence.<font color="white"><br /><br />I wonder what Dr Spock and Captain Kirk is going to say when they bump into it out there in the <br />voids of space......<br /><br />Hint - there was an episode where they did just that -way into the future.....<br /></font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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chew_on_this

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Wasn't it one of the movies? Unless your confused with the Nomad episode? Or am I confused? Arggghhh...too many questions...information overload...I am Nomad...I am perfect...
 
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rlb2

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Your right the first re-union movie was the one I was referring to - the episode I believe was before voyager’s time.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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dragon04

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Here's a great link to learn more about Voyager, emperor.<br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/voyager_agu.html<br /><br /><br />To answer your question, yes. JPL is still in radio contact with Voyager.<br /><br />Should the project continue to be funded, the Voyagers could continue to return data until the year 2020.<br /><br />That would equate to a 43 year mission. What amazes me to no end is that the spacecraft are still functioning and returning data after 28 years in space.<br /><br />It would be a terrible shame for funding to be eliminated when we're so close to becoming interstellar explorers. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>
 
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odysseus145

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I just found that Voyager should cross the heliopause 10-15 after the termination shock. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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rlb2

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A look at the image provided by JPL that helps put it all into prospective.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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emperor_of_localgroup

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Dragon04, thanks for the info, and the link is very good. Give a little credit also to the engineers who designed the radio system. <br /><br />One good thing about funding is the Voyager side doesn't need any funding, only this bureaucratic earth side needs the funding.<br /><br />Wont it be heart-breaking, if Voyagers travel for thousands of years and then get pulled by a star by gravity, and then get burnt into ashes. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="2" color="#ff0000"><strong>Earth is Boring</strong></font> </div>
 
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i_have_glasses

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dont worry about that....The voyager probe is eventually destroyed by the Klingons.
 
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rlb2

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I would venture a guess that that might occur within the next 20 years. Maybe some one else here has some closer estimates by a more knowledgeable source on this subject matter... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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rlb2

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<font color="yellow">I wonder whether some method could be arrived at, that will determine if any fairly close exosolar encounters have ever occurred in the distant past. Something may show in the energy levels of the heliopause; a faint signature from a fly-by sun...or even, something else entirely??<font color="white"><br /><br />Here is something I posted 10/26/04 on that happening in the future...Don't know if the signature of detecting extrasolar planets was discussed...(Irregular orbits of some Ort cloud objects could be one signature???) Other factors could be considered causing that too such as dark energy and dark matter.<br /><br />http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sciastro&Number=75768&page=20&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=<br /><br />Stars crossing paths with sun caused Dino's demise <br /><br />Are we finally coming to terms with our planets fate? If we know what’s coming at us in the future then we can plan to do something about it. <br /><br /><font color="orange">A star named Gliese 710, found by Hipparcos and reported in 1999, will pass within 1 light-year of the Sun. That puts it some 70,000 times the distance from Earth to the Sun, on the very fringes of our solar system where icy objects are thought to roam in what's known as the Oort Cloud. Such stellar close calls in the past are thought to have rerouted comets from the Oort Cloud toward the inner solar system, where some hit Earth. <br /><br />http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/rebel_stars_041026.html <br /></font></font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>
 
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emperor_of_localgroup

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Anyone knows if there is any danger for Voyager to go through the bow shock? How high is the temperature there? <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="2" color="#ff0000"><strong>Earth is Boring</strong></font> </div>
 
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