

Voyager 1 is on the edge, and so is he - edw519
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0414-ed-stone-20110412,0,4527527.story

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vbtemp
I once found a manual describing the machine code for the Voyager computers
(can't find it anymore). Recently there was a flipped bit in memory which
caused serious problems:
<http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-151>

One of the things I find most fascinating about the mission are the RF systems
-- the antenna on voyager is approx 40 watts yet the ground systems can read
something on the order of kilobits per second -- and they are billions of
miles away.

This is an interesting read too:
[http://books.google.com/books?id=yws55Rx1orEC&pg=PA28...](http://books.google.com/books?id=yws55Rx1orEC&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=voyager+mission+error+correction+codes&source=bl&ots=V2oS9O2t9d&sig=OBnExaOWkHvHZlZLpJf7p9FgUJk&hl=en&ei=tAmnTcD9NNCbtwftkOCFAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAw)

~~~
iwwr
Potentially, optical (laser) transmitters have a lot more bandwidth, but need
very fine aiming control. At those distances, a high-gain antenna would have
to be too large to be feasible, even with an extensive upgrade of ground-based
receivers.

~~~
stewiecat
In the book "Voyager : seeking newer worlds in the third great age of
discovery" they said that as the crafts got further out they had to use large
radio antenna's in Spain, Hawaii, and Australia to lock onto the signal,
creating an Earth-scale virtual antenna.

Truly amazing stuff.

~~~
vbtemp
These are part of NASA's Deep Space Network, used to communicate with the
fleet of interplanetary spacecraft (as well as plenty of satellites and the
ISS). The you mentioned the three largest ones, each with a 70 meter dish.

~~~
mturmon
And here's the pic:

[http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/images/picture_70_bw_lg.jp...](http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/images/picture_70_bw_lg.jpg)

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checker
What a magnificent story. It's amazing to me how he he and the spacecraft are
so connected. The radios go off, he works on other projects, until one day
they are reunited as both reach the ends of their journey, transitioning to
whatever lies beyond.

I'm saying that last part without hyperbole, which is beautiful to me.

~~~
ra
I remember being about 5 years old in primary school and learning about &
watching Voyager 1 reach Jupiter. It's incredible to think that thing has been
flying through space my whole life.

A beautiful story, Ed Stone's life would make a great movie.

~~~
JacobAldridge
I remember when Voyager II reached Neptune and we watched it in science class
in primary (grade) school. Different specific events, but a shared experience
across a generation.

~~~
ra
And when a Voyager crosses the heliopause in another ten or so years time,
entering deep space, that'll be another new generation inspired by this
incredible feat of humankind.

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wingo
What wonderful writing this was. I have been really pleased with some of these
more pop articles recently: the Dan Plan one and the Snider huffpost piece
being two examples. Very pleasant to read between hacks.

~~~
mohsen
in that case you may like to read this one as well.

[http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-
language-20110414...](http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-
language-20110414,0,1473928.story)

i found it very enjoyable.

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meric
We're where we are today because of pioneers of previous generations. My eyes
always water a bit when I think about how much they would have wanted to see
what we have now.

Beautiful story.

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iwwr
While the Sun's radiation extends up to 100au or so, its gravitational
influence goes to over 100K au (2 light years). In this deep freezing
wasteland we may find many more orbiting bodies than in the solar system
proper.

~~~
JonnieCache
The oort cloud is supposed to lie in that range, and it is speculated to
contain several trillion objects.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oort_cloud>

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markbnine
Here's a tool to check out some of the raw imagery from Voyager (if you can
figure out how to use it. . . the tool is meant for planetary scientists).
Check out Jupiter/Saturn. The next dump should get have more stuff from
Uranus/Neptune. <http://pilot.wr.usgs.gov>

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InclinedPlane
It's easy to forget how little we knew about the Solar System prior to the
wave of exploration in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. A great deal of unfounded but
seemingly logical speculation was wiped away and replaced with solid
observationally backed theory.

As heroic and remarkable an era of exploration as any. Indeed, perhaps all the
more remarkable for its speed.

