Find out how Voyager 1 and 2 probes still send signs to Earth and inspire the world with their historical journey through the interstellar space.
Launched in 1977, the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes revolutionized the exploration of the giant planets of the Solar System and continue to impress the world almost fifty years later. Today they are the most distant human artifacts ever created, overcoming the direct influence of the sun and navigating through the interstellar space with perseverance and innovation.
Record distance: where the journey are
Voyager 1 maintains the title of human object farthest from the planet, currently positioned at over 25 billion kilometers from the earth – about 168 astronomical units (AU).
- The Voyager 1 signal takes about 23 hours and 20 minutes to reach the earth.
- In turn, Voyager 2, after following a different path, is 21 billion kilometers, or 140 UA, with a radio signal traveling for almost 19 and a half hours.
How is it possible to communicate at this distance?
Communication with probes is maintained by Deep Space Network (DSN), a powerful network of global NASA antennas capable of capturing very weak signals, less even one millionth of the energy of a common lamp.
- DSN also sends terrestrial controls to voyager.
- The energy of the probes derives from the thermoelectric generators of radioisotopes (RTG), fueled by the decay of the plutonium-238.
- This source of energy is limited, falling by about 4 watts per year, imposing the NASA to gradually deactivate tools to ensure survival for the main systems.
Legacy: United Science and Culture
Voyager discoveries transcend boundaries:
- First visits near Uranus and Neptune.
- Unpublished images of moons, rings and atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.
- Precious data on the transition from the Elosphere to interstellar space. In addition, they bring the iconic “gold disc”, a message from the earth to possible alien civilizations, reaffirming their cultural role.
Global impact and continuous inspiration
Voyager probes have changed the way we see the cosmos and have increased the generations of scientists and curious all over the world. Even with limited resources, they follow functional debates and motivate on engineering, perseverance and human conquest.
Decisive moments and the future of the journey
With the tools that are progressively disabled, NASA remains intelligently that the data give priority, keeping the scientific inheritance active as long as possible.
- The least essential tools have already been deactivated.
- The mission continues as long as there is enough energy.
Eternal memory: Voyager in the open space
As soon as they stop sending signs, the two will continue to wander for millions of years, bringing with them images, sounds and stories of the planet Earth, eternind our presence in the universe.
Source: Terra

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