81 Voyager 1 Facts: Timeline, Discoveries, Launch And More

Traveling at the speed of 11 miles per second (mps) (17.7 kps), Voyager 1 has made us more familiar with many planets!

Voyager 1 has not only thrown more light on planets such as Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, and Saturn, but it has also now entered interstellar space, becoming the first spacecraft from Earth to do so!

One of the many great facts about Voyager 1 is that it carries an emblem of love and friendship for any alien living beings that many come across this spacecraft in the future during its expeditions in outer space. It carries some natural sounds and other objects which were carefully selected by the late Carl Sagan in order to let any living beings outside Earth know of our existence! Keep reading to know Voyager 1 facts!

Facts About Voyager 1

The Voyager probes are some of the most important and revolutionary inventions to be set in motion. Voyager 1 is the first spacecraft to be made by human beings that could enter the interstellar regions and give us some insight into what the outer solar system looks like.

• The Voyager mission consisted of twin spacecraft. The two spacecraft were named Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.
• Interestingly, Voyager 2 was launched by NASA a few days before Voyager 1.
• Each Voyager spacecraft has a slightly different mission and also has different speeds. Hence, it took much longer for Voyager 2 to enter interstellar space even though it was the first one to be launched by NASA.
• Before the interstellar mission was set in motion to observe the space between the stars, NASA Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were responsible for observing and finding facts about the outer space, or rather, outer solar system.
• The NASA Voyager probes were successful in making many discovering about the giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn.
• They studied magnetic fields and plasma waves of the outer planets and gave the scientists a lot of content for them to conduct their studies.

Voyager 1's Timeline

It is fascinating to think that scientists were capable of creating something so majestic that would be able to take on the exploration of deep space even in the '70s. The data gathered by the Voyager probes so far and the data that they still continue to send back to Earth is of unparalleled value!

• Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977.
• Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977.
• Owing to the different speeds at which these spacecraft have been going around the solar system, they reached the same points at different times.
• Voyager 2 is slower than Voyager 1.
• Voyager 1 got closest to Jupiter on March 5, 1979.
• Voyager 2 got closest to the largest planet of our solar system, Jupiter, on July 9, 1979.
• Voyager 1 got closest to Saturn on November 12, 1980.
• Voyager 2 got to the same spot on August 26, 1981.
• In February 1990 Voyager 1 took the famous picture in which Earth looks like a tiny blue dot.
• This is because Voyager 1 was a very distant spacecraft by that point and the Earth was nothing but a very tiny part of space!

Facts About Voyager 1's Discoveries

Each Voyager spacecraft was given a clear mission, which it achieved in the course of many years.

• Voyager 1 discovered that Earth is not the only planetary body in the solar system to have active volcanoes.
• It discovered an erupting active volcano on Io. Io is one of Jupiter's moons, which is affected by the giant planet's magnetic field.
• Voyager 1 has given Earth valuable knowledge of Saturn's rings. Voyager 1 has also been an important part of understanding the outer solar system and the many moons that planets like Saturn possess.
• Voyager 1 has many instruments onboard such as computer resources and devices to measure magnetic fields.
• Voyager 1 has a greater speed than Voyager 2.
• Its radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) have kept it powered up for so many years.

Facts About Voyager 1's Launch

The Voyager 1 spacecraft is an important part of the accomplishments that NASA has made so far. Hence, let's get to know a little more about its launch procedure and who made the great spacecraft!

• Voyager 1 was built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
• The laboratory is owned by NASA and still controls both Voyager 1 and 2.
• Voyager 1 is now in interstellar space.
• Voyager 1 will be put to sleep in the year 2025.
• It is the first spacecraft from Earth to enter interstellar space and therefore is a ray of hope that we will soon be able to find more clues of solar systems outside of our own!
• We can still communicate with Voyager 1.
• It takes many hours to send a message and receive an answer.
• Voyager 1 travels at a speed of around 39600 mph (63730.02 kph).