Toroid
Founding Member
Voyager 1&2 are nearly 40 years old and are still transmitting data back to Earth from a distance of 13 billion miles.
Voyager Spacecraft Sail On, 40 Years After Launch
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h-SVbxk-NA
Voyager Spacecraft Sail On, 40 Years After Launch
Nearly 40 years after lifting off, NASA's historic Voyager mission is still exploring the cosmos.
The twin spacecraft launched several weeks apart in 1977 — Voyager 2 on Aug. 20 and Voyager 1 on Sept. 5 — with an initial goal to explore the outer solar system. Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter and Saturn, while its twin took advantage of an unusual planetary alignment to visit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
And then the spacecraft kept on flying, for billions and billions of miles. Both remain active today, beaming data home from previously unexplored realms. Indeed, in August 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-made object ever to reach interstellar space. [Photos from Voyager 1 and 2's Grand Tour]
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h-SVbxk-NA