Carrying with them data we imagined

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influence in space. Then in 2012 (Voyager 1) and 2018 (Voyager 2) they went even further crossing the heliopause — the end of the influence of our sun — and finally reaching interstellar space. Neptune and its largest moon Triton as photographed by Voyager 2 in 1989. Photo Courtesy CorbisGetty ImagesA few years ago before the pandemic we were all getting wrapped up in Mars Rover fever and saying goodbye and goodnight to that sweet robot in space. I found myself thinking about the Voyagers then too. They’re way out there quietly winding their way through the cosmos.


Carrying with them data we imagined once upon a time might signify the best we Belize WhatsApp Number had to offer. They’re still pinging back data dutifully too — teaching us about the universe and making us realize how little we actually know.Where Are They NowSometimes years go by and we don’t hear much about the Voyagers. When I was a kid I did my big seventh grade history project on the Voyager mission. I remember writing a letter to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) asking if they might be able to send me some pictures and information in the mail. They did. That was over 20 years ago and even then it felt like the Voyagers had already been gone for a lifetime. Engineers at NASA’s Jet.





Propulsion Lab maybe a little bit tired examining images of Neptune in 1989. Photo Courtesy Roger RessmeyerCorbisVCGGetty ImagesRecently though Voyager popped back up in the  cycle. It turns out Voyager 1 is sending back data that doesn’t quite make sense. In fact while NASA says that the antenna that sends back data to Earth is still working “the data may appear to be randomly generated or does not reflect any possible state the [system] could be in.”It’s not easy for NASA to communicate with the Voyagers. Voyager 1 is so far away at this point — 14.5 billion miles! — that it takes two full days for a single message to get sent back and forth. However there have been some surprising solutions.