The twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft continue exploring over 35 years

Interstellar Mission.

Thirty-five years ago in 1977 Aug. 20 NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft launched from Kennedy Space Flight Center, the first Voyager spacecraft to launch, departed on a journey that would make it the only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune and the longest-operating NASA spacecraft ever. And in 1977 September 5 Voyager 1 launched from Kennedy Space Flight Center.  

The twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft continue exploring where nothing from Earth has flown before. In the 35th year after their 1977 launches, they each are much farther away from Earth and the Sun than Pluto. Voyager 1 and 2 are now in the "Heliosheath" - the outermost layer of the heliosphere where the solar wind is slowed by the pressure of interstellar gas. Both spacecraft are still sending scientific information about their surroundings through the Deep Space Network (DSN).

Mission Objective

The mission objective of the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM) is to extend the NASA exploration of the solar system beyond the neighborhood of the outer planets to the outer limits of the Sun's sphere of influence, and possibly beyond. This extended mission is continuing to characterize the outer solar system environment and search for the heliopause boundary, the outer limits of the Sun's magnetic field and outward flow of the solar wind. Penetration of the heliopause boundary between the solar wind and the interstellar medium will allow measurements to be made of the interstellar fields, particles and waves unaffected by the solar wind. 

Voyager Team Member Quotes

  
John Casani
Voyager Project Manager 1975-1977

"Voyager opened our eyes to what was out there in the solar system and provides us a compelling argument for going back with missions like Galileo, Cassini and other missions that will follow." 

Chris P. Jones
Voyager Fault Protection Engineer (1973-1975)
Voyager Flight S/W System Engineer (1975-1977)
Voyager Spacecraft Team Chief (1978-1981)

"We began the MJS77 Project in 1973 with a stripped down version of the high-tech Outer Planets Grand Tour mission. From those humble beginnings, the two intrepid explorers named Voyager have generated a national pride and identity. Today they're recognizable by all age groups, and no wonder. One can find them referenced in school science texts, in a prominent role in an old Star Trek movie, and even in an image subtly placed on a Moody Blues album cover."


 
 Charley Kohlhase
Mission Analysis and Engineering Manager (1974-1977)

"Even in hindsight, I would not change one whit of the Voyager experience. Dreams and sweat carried it off. But most of all, its legacy makes us all Earth travelers among the stars."
 


 
 Dr. Peter T. Poon
Telecommunications & Mission Systems Manager (2004-Present)

"What an outstanding mission Voyager is! I marvel at the wealth of scientific discoveries of Voyager which lead to the greatly expanded knowledge of our Solar System. I enjoy being a part of the team and appreciate the long-term partnership between Voyager and the Deep Space Network."

  
 
 Dr. Edward C. Stone
Voyager Project Scientist (1972-Present)

"The Voyager mission has opened up our solar system in a way not possible before the Space Age." "It revealed our neighbors in the outer solar system and showed us how much there is to learn and how diverse the bodies are that share the solar system with our own planet Earth."
 

 
 Harris Schurmeier
Voyager Project Manager (1970-1976)

"There were and still are many remarkable and amazing things about Voyager but to me the most remarkable was the timing. The planetary alignment that occurs only once every 175 years occurred at the time we were ready and able to do the mission. The necessary technologies were developed - communications, navigation, power, electronics, attitude control, instruments. The scientists were experienced. There was strong public support. We could not have done it 5 years earlier and 5 years later the politics would not have supported it."

 
 Alan Stern
Associate Administrator NASA's Science Mission Directorate (2007-Present)

"The Voyager mission is a legend in the annals of space exploration. It opened our eyes to the scientific richness of the outer solar system, and it has pioneered the deepest exploration of the sun's domain ever conducted. "It's a testament to Voyager's designers, builders and operators that both spacecraft continue to deliver important findings more than 25 years after their primary mission to Jupiter and Saturn concluded." 


 
 Stamatios M. Krimigis
Principal Investigator, Low Energy Charged Particle Instrument (1971-Present)

"What became my love affair with Voyager began more than 37 years ago, when the project was invented as the Outer Planets Grand Tour and I was appointed a member of the Mission Definition Team. Soon after that proposals were invited by NASA, and in 1971 I was selected as PI to build the LECP instrument we had proposed with a number of other (young) colleagues (I was the youngest PI on the Voyager science team). Little did I know at the time what an adventure this would turn out to be. I have now been with the project for most of my carrier in space science, and I consider Voyager the highlight of my entire existence as a scientist. I also think Voyager is the most spectacular space science mission of the 20th century. Little did I know, as I was growing up on the Greek island of Chios, that some day I would be one of the few lucky people to represent humanity on the first mission that would travel beyond our solar system. This is the kind of stuff that dreams are made off-and I was fortunate enough to realize my dream!" 

 
 Trina L. Ray
Voyager General Science Data Team (1989-1996)

"My first job - working on the Voyager Project, during its last great planetary encounter. Everyone on the project had been there for years, some of them for decades; everyone knew everyone, and knew what they were supposed to be doing; everyone felt the excitement. The entire laboratory was energized, especially as blue Neptune began to grow day-by-day in the overhead displays. Some days I still can't believe that was my first job here at JPL, and as with all first jobs, it set the standard by which all others have been compared. I must say it set the bar very, very VERY high." 

 

 Ed B. Massey
Voyager Project Manager (1998-Present)

"The legacies of the Voyagers are many. Their confirmation of some and contradiction of other science concepts, surprising discoveries at every planet and the only in situ observations of Uranus and Neptune, have changed the way we view the giant gaseous planets. The Voyagers also inspired, and are still inspiring, further exploration of the outer planets. But the Voyagers have also inspired a new generation of scientists to explore the solar system. This is just as significant as the many scientific accomplishments of the venerable spacecraft."

 
 Ellis D. Minor
Voyager Assistant Project Scientist (1978-1990)

"... With the present emphasis on 'cheaper, better, faster' missions, NASA is unlikely to consider a return mission to Uranus (or Neptune) within the next few decades. For at least several decades, Voyager data will remain the primary source of information about Uranus (and Neptune). As of this writing, both Voyager spacecraft continue to radio back information on the particles and fields environment of the Solar System from well beyond the orbit of Pluto. ... What a marvelous legacy Voyager has left humankind. Few can imagine a more fitting testament of mankind's ability to stretch his horizons. How grateful I am that I was able to share in such an adventure." 

 

Alan Cummings
Voyager Project Co-Investigator, CRS (1973 - Present)

"My first task as an employee of Caltech was to work on our Voyager instrument -- way back in 1973. I have been working on it ever since. What a mission Voyager has been and continues to be! The planetary encounters produced numerous discoveries and surprises and now the exploration of the outer heliosphere is doing the same thing. I feel fortunate to be a part of it and excited to find out what lies ahead when the Voyagers reach interstellar space."

Voyager Time Line

DATE	MILESTONE
1977	Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 is renamed Voyager
1977 Aug. 20	Voyager 2 launched from Kennedy Space Flight Center
1977 Sept. 5	Voyager 1 launched from Kennedy Space Flight Center Voyager 1 returns first spacecraft photo of Earth and Moon
1979 Mar. 5	Voyager 1 makes its closest approach to Jupiter
1979 July 9	Voyager 2 makes its closest approach to Jupiter
1980 Nov. 12	Voyager 1 flies by Saturn Voyager 1 begins its trip out of the Solar System
1981 Aug. 25	Voyager 2 flies by Saturn
1982	Deep Space Network upgrades two 26-m antennas to 34-m
1986 Jan. 24	Voyager 2 has the first-ever encounter with Uranus Deep Space Network begins expansion of 64-m antennas to 70-m
1987	Voyager 2 "observes" Supernova 1987A
1988	Voyager 2 returns first color images of Neptune
1989 Aug. 25	Voyager 2 is the first spacecraft to observe Neptune Voyager 2 begins its trip out of the Solar System, below the ecliptic plane
1990 Jan. 1	Begins Voyager Interstellar Mission
1990 Feb. 14	Last Voyager Images - Portrait of the Solar System
1998 Feb. 17	Voyager 1 passes Pioneer 10 to become the most distant human-made object in space
2004 Dec. 15	Voyager 1 crosses Termination Shock
2007 Sep. 5	Voyager 2 crosses Termination Shock
TBD	Voyager enters Interstellar Space