In 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft named Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to study the outer Solar System. These twin spacecraft are still in operation today, making them the longest-operating space missions in history. The Voyager mission has provided us with invaluable knowledge of our Solar System and beyond.
The primary objective of the Voyager mission was to explore Jupiter and Saturn, their moons, rings, and magnetic fields. However, after completing this task successfully, the spacecraft continued on their journey toward Uranus and Neptune. They also studied Pluto at a distance using remote sensing instruments.
One of the most significant discoveries made by the Voyagers was discovering active volcanoes on Io – one of Jupiter’s moons. This discovery revolutionized our understanding of planetary geology as it was previously thought that only Earth had volcanic activity within our solar system.
Another notable discovery was made when Voyager 1 passed by Saturn’s moon Titan. The spacecraft discovered an atmosphere around Titan – something that had never been observed before on any other moon or asteroid within our solar system.
In addition to these discoveries, Voyager also helped us understand more about interstellar space – where there is little or no matter left from stars or planets. As they ventured further into deep space beyond our solar system’s edge, they observed cosmic rays – high energy particles from outside our solar system that continue to bombard Earth today.
Voyager continues to send valuable data back to Earth even though they have travelled far beyond the edges of our Solar System—into a region known as interstellar space. In August 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-made object ever to enter interstellar space; it reached this milestone more than twelve billion miles away from Earth!
In conclusion, although launched over four decades ago now (44 years), both Voyagers remain operational today with enough power for another decade or so! We owe much gratitude towards these missions as we continue learning about our universe and the vastness of space.