The beginning of the Voyager Project: Traveling twins conquered the edge of the solar system | Thai PBS Podcast

On the morning of August 20, 1977, a Titan rocket lifted off from Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral. Florida in the vast sky, taking the probeVoyager 2 (Voyager 2) Crossing the Kármán Line into deep space begins its long journey. Two weeks later another Titan rocket launched the ship.Voyager 1 (Voyager 1) The Voyager 2 twins go into space together.

Titan 3E rocket transports Voyager 1 into space – NASA/KSC

The twin Voyager missions were among the most important space exploration missions of that decade. Due to perfect chance, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (which were still considered planets at the time) were aligned in the same plane that only happens once every 175 years, giving humans the opportunity to send spacecraft to explore the four planets. The planets of the outer solar system at one time. This important occasion is called the “Grand Tour” or “The Great Journey.”

But even this great journey could actually happen for both rovers to touch the edge of space was not easy as scientists in industry fought hard to make this project a reality.

The dream of such a mission began in 1969 as a dual mission (four spacecraft) to explore all the exoplanets. One pair was launched in 1977 to explore Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto, while the other was launched in 1979 to explore Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. In space operations at the time, it was common to send probes in pairs to serve as backup vehicles in case the other vehicle malfunctioned or was damaged.

But in December 1971, with the emergence of another important project in space exploration, the shuttle program, and pressure from the political sector, this led to the plan being finally folded.

Images of Neptune and its moon Triton from Voyager 2 – NASA/KSC

But scientists did not give up. They created a new project plan that reduced the project goals and budget to just two rovers. Requesting budget approval under the name of the Jupiter-Saturn Mariner project (Jupiter-Saturn Mariner), the budget was allocated only for Jupiter and Saturn exploration missions. To reduce the estimated cost of the entire project. Leaving the task of exploring the next star a problem for the future. When the initial project was successfully completed this plan was approved in the 1972 budget.

March 1977, just a few months before the probe was launched. NASA held a contest to name the twin spacecraft. The name that won at the time was Voyager

Voyager 1 flew over the Jupiter system. The Saturn system with its moon Titan. In March 1979 and November 1980, respectively. In planning the travel path, the mission team had to choose between exploring the moon Triton and Pluto, which according to information at the time, Triton was considered a more attractive target. However, this choice permanently blocked Voyager's exploration of Pluto. While Voyager 2 flew over the Jupiter system, the Saturn system, the Uranus system, and the Neptune system in April 1979, June 1981, November 1985, and June 1989, respectively, all surveys were completed as planned.

Voyager flight – NASA

The Voyager mission, led by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is a milestone in space exploration. Which provided a lot of valuable information to the astronomer who pioneered the path to many subsequent exoplanet exploration missions. It inspired countless people until it became a legendary space mission to this day.

Listen to Tle – Natthanon Duangsungnoen and Namwan – Phiramon Kamnerdmanee as they recount their experience visiting the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. From the spacecraft assembly room all the way to the rover testing ground. In the case of the Martian surface simulation in Starstaff, Tales from the Stars, Episode 91, “Visit the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the starting point of the legendary space program.”

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