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So, there's about 12 years of life left for Voyager 1

Cesrate

By Cesrate
in Science & Spaceflight

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Albert VDS

Albert VDS

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Posted (edited)

With last years drop in solar particles and raise in cosmic ray particles, I doubt that it would take more than 12 years.

The instruments on voyager will be shut down 1 by 1 within 8 years to safe power for the remaining instruments.

I don't know how many watts the magnetometer has, but I hope it doesn't get shut down before it leaves our solar system.

Edited by Albert VDS
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Motokid600

Motokid600

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Uhm..so it all comes down to how you define "end of solar system" so..how do you? As far as I know the Oort cloud is part of the solar system, no? And I believe ( correct me on this ) that the Oort cloud is roughly a single light year away. I can't imagine Voyager one getting there anytime soon.

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Diche Bach

Diche Bach

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I for one am ashamed of how badly Voyager 1 is being treated in this thread, and I hope you haven't driven it away for good. Maybe if we transmit nice messages to it, it will come home after all.

In describing on a fine scale how magnetic field lines from the sun and magnetic field lines from interstellar space can connect to each other, they conclude Voyager 1 has been detecting the interstellar magnetic field since July 27, 2012. Their model would mean that the interstellar magnetic field direction is the same as that which originates from our sun.

So basically if you assume the interstellar magnetic field will be oriented in a different direction to that of Sol, you must scratch your head in puzzlement that it has yet to leave the solar system. Whereas if you assume that the interstellar field is aligned with Sol's, then these guys are suggesting the boundary has already been crossed.

Sounds like we need to send more probes, fast.

Edited by Diche Bach
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  • 2 weeks later...
Kerbart

Kerbart

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I for one am ashamed of how badly Voyager 1 is being treated in this thread, and I hope you haven't driven it away for good. Maybe if we transmit nice messages to it, it will come home after all.

Given that it has left the solar system about a dozen times it also must have re-entered the solar system about a dozen times. So it has come back many many times.

"But this time it has really crossed over to interstellar space" Mmmh. Why does this sound familiar?

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dharak1

dharak1

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I see this as more incentive to send more probes like this. If the solar+ probe is going to hit 200km/s could you not use a sundive and the oberth effect to get up to 220km/s or even 250km/s?

EDIT: Wait a minute! Wikipedia says light travels 300km/s I thought that it was 3000? If that's true then solar probe + will get to 4/6 the speed of light! that's 2/3 or 66%! Is wikipedia wrong?

EDIT 2: I am stupid. It says 300,000 ok that makes sense. I must have had 300,000 but let wikipedia make my mind drop a couple digits.

Edited by dharak1
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