Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977 and their journey brought them to both Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 1 did not continue on to any other planets, and instead left for the void of space. Voyager 2 continued on to Uranus and Neptune, and to date, is the only spacecraft to have completed flybys of these two worlds. Voyager 2 gave scientists their first close-up view of these outer gas giants, and even today, decades later, new discoveries are still being made from pictures taken by Voyager 2.
Memories of Earth
The Voyager Golden Record. Cover drawings show directions to the solar system, NASA
Traveling to the outer planets was of course the first, primary goal of the Voyager mission, but it was not the only goal. Both spacecraft were equipped with golden phonograph records, as well as a golden casing with hieroglyphics on it. The record contained images of human society, as well as music from throughout history and from around the world, as well as many other aspects of our society. Science, math, technology, and even recordings of several human languages and a whale language were included on the disc. These files contain the memory of our world and who we are. In space, there is virtually nothing to wear the Voyagers away, and so they will continue drifting through space for about five billion years or so. This is of course a very long time, even longer than existed in our solar system. Scientists sent the golden records in the hope that, perhaps within five billion years, some extraterrestrial species might encounter it. The odds are of course close to zero, but five billion years is a long time. Five billion years ago there was no Earth. Voyagers could even be discovered by a civilization that has yet to evolve. Earth may not even exist in five billion years. In five billion years, all life will have disappeared, the oceans will have disappeared, the continents will be unrecognizable, and the sun will likely have swallowed the Earth as it nears the end of its life. Despite these drastic changes, the two Voyagers will continue their journey through space, oblivious to the events taking place on their home world. Our world, Earth, will be no more. All that will be left of our civilization are these two spaceships that were sent a long time ago. Earth will have died, but these two Travelers will continue to carry the memory of this world. As they continue into space, these spacecraft carry a part of us with them. Five billion years from now, these memories will still whisper silently as the Voyagers continue their lonely journey through the void of interstellar space. Aidan Remple July 2, 2022 in Science
