Voyager Solar System 'exit' debated.

Voyager-1 was launched back in 1977, embarking on a pioneering mission to explore the outer planets for the first time. It didn't stop there however, the spacecraft has been traveling now for more than 35 years and is located a staggering 18 billion kilometers away, the equivalent of 123 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Many scientists believe that Voyager has now left the solar system entirely, yet there is still much debate on the topic of exactly where our solar system ends and interstellar space begins.

www.bbc.co.uk...

I'm not learned enough to comment about the edges of our solar system, but it seems that saying is true, "They built things to last back in the day"
...I wonder if it's still under warranty?!

You could have elaborated a little further however, for those of you who might not want to view the source the OP has provided, there are two sides to this argument. One side being Prof Bill Webber from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces and the other side being NASA.

Prof Bill Webber argues that a big change occurred on 25 August last year which he says was like a "heliocliff".

"Within just a few days, the heliospheric intensity of trapped radiation decreased, and the cosmic ray intensity went up as you would expect if it exited the heliosphere"

Most researchers would like a long period with all the data pointing in one direction prior to calling the exit definitive.

NASA however have defended their corner by stating that a reorientation of the magnetic fields around the probe has not yet been observed.

The Voyager project scientist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ed Stone, said he wanted to see a reorientation of the magnetic fields around the probe before declaring it to be in interstellar space. This was a "critical marker", he added. "…that change of direction has not yet been observed."

Nasa funded the study and said any assessment that Voyager might be in interstellar space did not reflect the view of everyone working on the project, and Prof Weber acknowledges there is an on-going debate about the probe's status.

My gut feeling is that indeed it has left the solar system. I'm wondering if NASA just wants to be the first to announce it. Regardless, it's amazing after 33 years it's still working and transmitting info back to earth.

The voyager probes are one of our great success stories, to think that one of them has lasted this long and can still raise an eyebrow in the science field is unbelievable.

It would be great to have the confirmation of it being beyond our solar system before the power and data goes for good.

Originally posted by grainofsand
I'm not learned enough to comment about the edges of our solar system, but it seems that saying is true, "They built things to last back in the day"
...I wonder if it's still under warranty?!

That saying does seem to hold true about many things, including the Voyager probe in a sense however:

Their plutonium power sources will stop generating electricity in about 10-15 years, at which point their instruments and transmitters will die.

Technology, even old technoloy is reliant on a power source and Voyager has about 10+ years left in her.

Originally posted by MDDoxs
Technology, even old technoloy is reliant on a power source and Voyager has about 10+ years left in her.

Call me overly sentimental, but that will be a sad day and I shall definitely raise a glass for her when it happens