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Where are the Voyagers?

voyager.jpl.nasa.gov

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Re: Where are the Voyagers?

#2
As amazing as space technologies are, we are in the stone ages when it comes to spaceflight:

> Earth moves around the sun faster than Voyager 2 is traveling from Earth, the distance between Earth and the spacecraft actually decreases at certain times of the year.

We don't even have the technology to escape the sun's gravity without needing a gravitational slingshot from other planets, and that still leaves us with a space craft moving slower than the earth.

Re: Where are the Voyagers?

#3
post #2

As amazing as space technologies are, we are in the stone ages when it comes to spaceflight: > Earth moves around the sun faster than Voyager 2 is traveling from Earth, the distance between Earth and the spacecraft actually decreases at certain times of the year. We don't even have the technology to escape the sun's gravity without needing a gravitational slingshot from other planets, and that still leaves us with a…

Nitpicky but.... we'd still want to use gravitational slingshots even if we had more deltaVs to burn.

Re: Where are the Voyagers?

#6
post #2

As amazing as space technologies are, we are in the stone ages when it comes to spaceflight: > Earth moves around the sun faster than Voyager 2 is traveling from Earth, the distance between Earth and the spacecraft actually decreases at certain times of the year. We don't even have the technology to escape the sun's gravity without needing a gravitational slingshot from other planets, and that still leaves us with a…

Problem is we don't really know where to go next. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin tried to cook up alternate space travel methods for years and still couldn't come up with anything better than the same basic rocket model that put Gagarin into space.

Most theorized "warp drives" either require more energy than humanity is capable of producing or necessitate breaking a law of physics or two just to move anything organic or larger than a postage stamp.

Then again, the answer could be right under our noses. There's a Sci-fi story - I forget the name - where space travel is actually quite simple if you know the math to make it happen, and when a peaceful alien race visits Earth, the humans - with their thousands of years of armed conflict - kill the aliens and take their spaceships.

Makes me wonder that if we treat the rest of the universe the way we have treated our planet, do we truly deserve the right to roam the stars?

Re: Where are the Voyagers?

#7
Would be really cool to stick some velocity numbers on there as well, I find it hard to relate to such huge distances. 62 thousand kilometres per hour feels larger because I can kind of comprehend it.

Though really cool anyway, I was going to say that Voyager 1 managed short of 30 light seconds a year until I realised the question is one of acceleration and deceleration not velocity. If I wasn't on my way to bed I would dig around for some data to make acceleration graphs for them (hint hint :P ).

Re: Where are the Voyagers?

#8
post #2

As amazing as space technologies are, we are in the stone ages when it comes to spaceflight: > Earth moves around the sun faster than Voyager 2 is traveling from Earth, the distance between Earth and the spacecraft actually decreases at certain times of the year. We don't even have the technology to escape the sun's gravity without needing a gravitational slingshot from other planets, and that still leaves us with a…

> we are in the stone ages when it comes to spaceflight

Indeed, only 59 years since we first put something into earth orbit.

We're just getting warmed up!

Re: Where are the Voyagers?

#9
post #2

As amazing as space technologies are, we are in the stone ages when it comes to spaceflight: > Earth moves around the sun faster than Voyager 2 is traveling from Earth, the distance between Earth and the spacecraft actually decreases at certain times of the year. We don't even have the technology to escape the sun's gravity without needing a gravitational slingshot from other planets, and that still leaves us with a…

Problem is we don't really know where to go next. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin tried to cook up alternate space travel methods for years and still couldn't come up with anything better than the same basic rocket model that put Gagarin into space. Most theorized "warp drives" either require more energy than humanity is capable of producing or necessitate breaking a law of physics or two just to move anything organic or lar…

It would be nice, and is certainly the result I hope for (with all the good wishes do), as I'm not sure we will work very well with slow and expensive growth. Reading 'Against a Dark Background' was certainly interesting as it considers a system which essentially has its growth capped by the distance between itself and the rest of the universe.

Re: Where are the Voyagers?

#10
post #2

As amazing as space technologies are, we are in the stone ages when it comes to spaceflight: > Earth moves around the sun faster than Voyager 2 is traveling from Earth, the distance between Earth and the spacecraft actually decreases at certain times of the year. We don't even have the technology to escape the sun's gravity without needing a gravitational slingshot from other planets, and that still leaves us with a…

Problem is we don't really know where to go next. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin tried to cook up alternate space travel methods for years and still couldn't come up with anything better than the same basic rocket model that put Gagarin into space. Most theorized "warp drives" either require more energy than humanity is capable of producing or necessitate breaking a law of physics or two just to move anything organic or lar…

You write a good comment, I don't know why you were down voted.
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