In 1977, NASA launched into space two unmanned probes named Voyager 1 and 2 respectively. These probes were designed to study Jupiter and Saturn and were not expected to function past this point. The original Voyager mission officially ended in 1989 when Voyager 2 did a close flyby of Neptune. However, as of 2014, both Voyagers are still travelling ever onward into interstellar space, sending back crucial data about our solar system and what is inside it, along with beautiful photographs of the planets.
The two Voyager probes greatly outlived their expected lifespan and exceeded what they were expected to do. Thanks to the Voyager program, we now have a far better understanding of our own Solar System, such as the fact that it is asymmetrical, or that Neptune had three rings. Voyager 1 is now the most distant man-made object from Earth – with its closest neighbour, Voyager 2, being billions of kilometres away from it. Yet it continues to strive onwards into the unknown, exploring the depths of space all alone.
The Voyagers also carry a golden record on which scientists recorded pictures, sounds and music (such as Bach and Mozart) that represented scenery found on Earth. It also includes various languages, mathematic formulas, a representation of our Solar System and our DNA, anatomy and reproduction. It is meant to be a time capsule of Earth, for our future descendants or whatever else may be out there.
