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VOYAGER 2

VOYAGER 2. Daniel Merritt. Origins. Voyager 2 is an unmanned and still active space probe, currently flying out of our solar system as we speak! launched on August 20 th , 1977

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VOYAGER 2

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  1. VOYAGER 2 Daniel Merritt

  2. Origins • Voyager 2 is an unmanned and still active space probe, currently flying out of our solar system as we speak! • launched on August 20th, 1977 • Voyager 2 and its sister probe, Voyager 1, were designed, developed, and built at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California

  3. Launch Issues • Voyager 2 was launched using a Titan IIIE rocket • During the takeoff, Voyager 2’s on board sensors became “confused” • Activating it’s backup sensors, if it had had control over the thrusters, it would have crashed itself trying to correct the trajectory • Luckily, the issue was resolved moments before the separation

  4. More Issues • However, it continued to sense phantom emergencies only 1 hour after launch • Voyager 2’s on board thrusters were activated as it attempted to locate the sun with a light sensor for orientation purposes • The worst result of the frantic computer activity was the activation of the fault protection, the last line of defense in case of a deep space trajectory malfunction • Although the probe recovered control, it was running on backup sensors, backup radio receivers, and could no longer activate the emergency fault protection, if needed • So far, there have been no major issues beyond that exciting launch day

  5. Voyager 2 utilized the gravity slingshot method to catapultitself to the furthest planets and eventually beyond the Heliosphere That configuration of the planets only occurs once every 176 years!

  6. Major Discoveries: Jupiter The Great Red Spot is a persistent storm complex rotating counter clockwise New rings Three new satellites The most exciting discovery is that of active volcanism on the moon Io; the first of it’s kind observed in the solar system!

  7. Major Discoveries: Saturn • Voyager 2 was primarily concerned with radiography and density mapping of Saturn’s atmosphere • Possible seasonal polar temperature differences were detected • The average temperatures at various depths were also recorded • After a slight camera lubricant issue, it was cleared to move on to Uranus

  8. Major Discoveries: Uranus • Discovered 10 previously unknown moons of Uranus • Studied the planet's unique atmosphere, caused by its axial tilt of 97.8° • Examined the Uranian ring system • Examined the corkscrew magnetic field effects

  9. Major Discoveries: Neptune • Discovery of the Great Dark Spot • Studied the planet's atmospheric composition • Heavily examined the previously known moon, Triton, in great detail • Found that the Planet X Effect was in fact caused by a miscalculation of Neptune’s mass, 0.5% too high (about the mass of Mars)

  10. 12 years? Is that all? • Voyager 2 completed it’s last planetary flyby in 1989 • It flung itself out into deep space, south of the ecliptic • Continuing to float through space, momentum uninhibited by pesky forces, Voyager 2 commences its final task; attempting to leave the Heliosphere, and the entire solar system On August 30th, 2007 Voyager 2 passed the termination shock into the Heliosheath

  11. So now what? • Voyager 2 is expected to keep transmitting weak radio messages until at least 2025, over 48 years since it was launched • As of April 13, 2010, Voyager 2 was at a distance of around 91.898 AU from the Sun, and traveling outward at roughly 3.264 AU per year

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