Humanity escapes the solar system: Voyager 1 signals that it has reached the edge of interstellar sp

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder
Well it's awesome news but the title is a little bit misleading. More like one of humanities machines escapes the solar system. The day we manage to escape the solar system in one our of machines will be the day to truly rejoice. Assuming we survive that long.

10km a second though is pretty mind blowing, I didn't realize it was going so fast.

edit on 15/6/2012 by ChaoticOrder because: (no reason given)

Unless it's headed to another star system using a method of FTL or at least an antimatter drive, then it won't matter a jot in the grand scale of things because we'll all be gone before it gets to its destination.

Wow...this is really making me emotional for some reason. What a great time to be alive and say I was around when we accomplished one of the greatest achievements in our history, to-date.

Originally posted by THE_PROFESSIONAL
We have finally become an interstellar species...we could have accomplished so much more if we did not keep bombing people in the middle east for no reason..

Very profound. Maybe some day...

Originally posted by big_BHOY

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder
Well it's awesome news but the title is a little bit misleading. More like one of humanities machines escapes the solar system. The day we manage to escape the solar system in one our of machines will be the day to truly rejoice. Assuming we survive that long.

10km a second though is pretty mind blowing, I didn't realize it was going so fast.

edit on 15/6/2012 by ChaoticOrder because: (no reason given)

Unless it's headed to another star system using a method of FTL or at least an antimatter drive, then it won't matter a jot in the grand scale of things because we'll all be gone before it gets to its destination.

Your right.

Proxima Centauri: The closest star to our our own solar system will not always be closest, but it will be a long time before that happens. Proxima Centauri is the third star in the Alpha Centauri star system, also known as Alpha Centauri C.

* Distance: 4.2 LY
* Spectral Type: M5.5Vc

Source

Traveling at the speed of light (which V1 isn't even close to) will take 4.2 years to reach. At the speeds it's going we won't see it get anywhere close to that in many lifetimes.

-SAP-

reply to post by Zcustosmorum



Just too cool !

I hope as a species,we can live long enough,to reap the rewards,of finding proof that we truly are not alone......


A little spec of metal,so far away..........

Has any poster here considered the fact - as brilliant as it seems - we could simply be polluting space with an unmanned space vehicle?????

We have yet to agree - in total unison - whether lifeforms on Earth are the only sentient lifeforms in the Universe. We have all but completely polluted our own beautiful planet Earth and people are excited about a piece of machinery that represents what? Space exploration? Human capability?

We have not yet fed the starving, housed the homeless, left animals to their own lives, cured diseases, learned to live in peace, we have yet to share without financial cost ... do I need to continue to make my point??

What is happening is a man made craft is floating out in what some human thinks is the far reaches of outer space - the reality is - we don't know where space or the Universe or Time ends - or starts - how the blazes do we know the man made craft hasn't just gone as far as the nearest corner??? We don't know????

Interesting - yes. Mind blowingly fabulous - no. Constructive towards our evolvement - no.

Much Peace...

2 thoughts on this:

my first one is how does it manage to maneuver around space debris to continue along its path, that in and of itself is quite a feat.

and the second one is this: If 35 years ago we were able to send something out to space and reach our outer limits of the solar system, why can we not build ships to haul away trash and nuclear waste and just explode it on hot planets such as Venus, Mercury, or even the Sun. Vaporize all plastics, garbage, and any other extreme and lingering waste products, batteries, etc.....i mean we might as well use those celestial bodies for something, right?!

Humanity has the stars in its future, and that future is too important to be lost under the burden of juvenile folly and ignorant superstition.

-Isaac Asimov
www.brainyquote.com...


He said it best.

Awesome

-beez

See? He said it best.

reply to post by phishfriar47


I may have a answer to your first question.

I think the probe may have just got lucky and dodged all of that space junk and just happened to make it to where it is now. Then again, I am no expert, but that's my theory.

-SAP-

reply to post by Amanda5


Regardless of the ramifications, it is still an amazing feat in human history, no matter what happens.

Edit to add:

Originally posted by Amanda5

Mind blowingly fabulous - no. Constructive towards our evolvement - no.

Much Peace...

Whether it's "Mind blowingly fabulous" is your opinion. Whether its constructive towards our evolvement, we have absolutely no clue yet. Scientific discoveries constantly effect our evolvement. We have yet to know what Voyager might discover out there.

I'm not going to refuse to acknowledge amazing human advancements just because we haven't accomplished others like solving world hunger and poverty.

Thats what I was leaning towards as well, but then i thought maybe just a small time detection and maneuvering interface for something like that wouldve been put on board

I didn't read the Daily Fail article as I try to avoid it, but this has been posted before.

The probes aren't in interstellar space yet, scientists just think they are close because of the sharp rise in particles from stars that have gone supernova. They don't know when the probes will hit interstellar space, just that they are getting closer.

Here is a better article from a far better source:

Particles point way for Nasa's Voyager

EDIT:

Here are existing threads on the subject:

Voyager I Leaving our Solar System (moved from ATSNN)

Voyager 1 reaches the edges of the solar system

reply to post by Dragonfly79


Here's to hoping for a larger commercial TR3-B.

Wish i was on voyager so i don't have to hear about how America is evil in every thread what a disservice to the accomplishment of Voyager 1.

The spirit that lead to the greatest journey of mankind, and to boldy go where no man has gone before

Yeah baby Roddenberry

This brings a tear to my eye.

reply to post by Zcustosmorum


I have been hearing this story for 20 years now.
I remember being in high school and being taught this.

In 20 years my grandkids are sure to come to me with this story.


How long is this going to take?

No need to worry.....the Klingons will use it as target practice in the 24th century!

reply to post by Wirral Bagpuss


Nooooo, it assimilates the universe, gets a mind of its own and returns to Earth looking for the creator, using its new name V'ger..... (ST: The motion picture)

reply to post by Amanda5


We're not polluting anything really.

We're returning something.

Every single molecule that makes up the Eath, the solar system's planets and the sun itself originated from material in interstellar space.

Every single molecule that makes up Voyager 1 was forged in the heart of a star.

And now those molecules are going back from where they came, after being forged further by human beings.

I am waiting for all the nay Sayers: It was done in a Hollywood studio like the moon landings.