Why NASA doesn't continue sending voyagers anymore? Or is it a bad idea?
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
As for now it's been more than 40 years NASA launched Voyager 1 & Voyager 2. With more advance technology wouldn't it now be a good time to continue sending more sophisticated voyagers out there? Wouldn't it be a good way to gather more data & it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?
Did NASA stop sending off probes like that anymore?
space-probe
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
As for now it's been more than 40 years NASA launched Voyager 1 & Voyager 2. With more advance technology wouldn't it now be a good time to continue sending more sophisticated voyagers out there? Wouldn't it be a good way to gather more data & it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?
Did NASA stop sending off probes like that anymore?
space-probe
2
Consider moving to space exploration.
– James K
6 hours ago
1
I don't get what you mean by "it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?" Are you talking about Aliens? That wasn't the purpose of the Voyager missions.
– James K
6 hours ago
"They" could be either aliens or future earthlings - I don't know. If that's not their one of missions, why would Voyagers carrying gold plated record disks etc?
– shan
5 hours ago
As I recall, the voyager crafts were sent when the planets were properly aligned for gravity assists. That probably doesn't happen very often. I also think we learn a lot more by having spacecraft orbit a planet vs fly by a planet. There's not all that much to gain by sending a probe out of the solar system, not that they should never do it, but it's not a top priority. I would also add that if contact is the goal, a tiny spacecraft isn't a likely way to do it. Sending radio-waterhole transmissions or listening for them is more likely.
– userLTK
4 hours ago
The aliens got really pissed and fined NASA 20 trillion spnrgls.
– Bob Jarvis
3 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
As for now it's been more than 40 years NASA launched Voyager 1 & Voyager 2. With more advance technology wouldn't it now be a good time to continue sending more sophisticated voyagers out there? Wouldn't it be a good way to gather more data & it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?
Did NASA stop sending off probes like that anymore?
space-probe
As for now it's been more than 40 years NASA launched Voyager 1 & Voyager 2. With more advance technology wouldn't it now be a good time to continue sending more sophisticated voyagers out there? Wouldn't it be a good way to gather more data & it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?
Did NASA stop sending off probes like that anymore?
space-probe
space-probe
edited 6 hours ago
James K
32.4k248106
32.4k248106
asked 7 hours ago
shan
1465
1465
2
Consider moving to space exploration.
– James K
6 hours ago
1
I don't get what you mean by "it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?" Are you talking about Aliens? That wasn't the purpose of the Voyager missions.
– James K
6 hours ago
"They" could be either aliens or future earthlings - I don't know. If that's not their one of missions, why would Voyagers carrying gold plated record disks etc?
– shan
5 hours ago
As I recall, the voyager crafts were sent when the planets were properly aligned for gravity assists. That probably doesn't happen very often. I also think we learn a lot more by having spacecraft orbit a planet vs fly by a planet. There's not all that much to gain by sending a probe out of the solar system, not that they should never do it, but it's not a top priority. I would also add that if contact is the goal, a tiny spacecraft isn't a likely way to do it. Sending radio-waterhole transmissions or listening for them is more likely.
– userLTK
4 hours ago
The aliens got really pissed and fined NASA 20 trillion spnrgls.
– Bob Jarvis
3 mins ago
add a comment |
2
Consider moving to space exploration.
– James K
6 hours ago
1
I don't get what you mean by "it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?" Are you talking about Aliens? That wasn't the purpose of the Voyager missions.
– James K
6 hours ago
"They" could be either aliens or future earthlings - I don't know. If that's not their one of missions, why would Voyagers carrying gold plated record disks etc?
– shan
5 hours ago
As I recall, the voyager crafts were sent when the planets were properly aligned for gravity assists. That probably doesn't happen very often. I also think we learn a lot more by having spacecraft orbit a planet vs fly by a planet. There's not all that much to gain by sending a probe out of the solar system, not that they should never do it, but it's not a top priority. I would also add that if contact is the goal, a tiny spacecraft isn't a likely way to do it. Sending radio-waterhole transmissions or listening for them is more likely.
– userLTK
4 hours ago
The aliens got really pissed and fined NASA 20 trillion spnrgls.
– Bob Jarvis
3 mins ago
2
2
Consider moving to space exploration.
– James K
6 hours ago
Consider moving to space exploration.
– James K
6 hours ago
1
1
I don't get what you mean by "it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?" Are you talking about Aliens? That wasn't the purpose of the Voyager missions.
– James K
6 hours ago
I don't get what you mean by "it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?" Are you talking about Aliens? That wasn't the purpose of the Voyager missions.
– James K
6 hours ago
"They" could be either aliens or future earthlings - I don't know. If that's not their one of missions, why would Voyagers carrying gold plated record disks etc?
– shan
5 hours ago
"They" could be either aliens or future earthlings - I don't know. If that's not their one of missions, why would Voyagers carrying gold plated record disks etc?
– shan
5 hours ago
As I recall, the voyager crafts were sent when the planets were properly aligned for gravity assists. That probably doesn't happen very often. I also think we learn a lot more by having spacecraft orbit a planet vs fly by a planet. There's not all that much to gain by sending a probe out of the solar system, not that they should never do it, but it's not a top priority. I would also add that if contact is the goal, a tiny spacecraft isn't a likely way to do it. Sending radio-waterhole transmissions or listening for them is more likely.
– userLTK
4 hours ago
As I recall, the voyager crafts were sent when the planets were properly aligned for gravity assists. That probably doesn't happen very often. I also think we learn a lot more by having spacecraft orbit a planet vs fly by a planet. There's not all that much to gain by sending a probe out of the solar system, not that they should never do it, but it's not a top priority. I would also add that if contact is the goal, a tiny spacecraft isn't a likely way to do it. Sending radio-waterhole transmissions or listening for them is more likely.
– userLTK
4 hours ago
The aliens got really pissed and fined NASA 20 trillion spnrgls.
– Bob Jarvis
3 mins ago
The aliens got really pissed and fined NASA 20 trillion spnrgls.
– Bob Jarvis
3 mins ago
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
9
down vote
It does:
Galileo: Launched in 1989, orbited Jupiter for 7 years
Cassini-Huygens: Orbited Saturn for 13 years.
New Horizons: Fly-by of Jupiter and Pluto.
Juno: Currently in orbit around Jupiter.
Nasa, (and Esa) have created multiple outer planet probes. But they are costly and there is no reason to repeat what has already been done. So each mission has a different aim and purpose. Often this means not doing a fly-by, but getting the probe in orbit around the planet.
Uranus and Neptune have not be re-visited. They are very distant. Getting a probe out to them is possible. Getting something out to them in a reasonable amount of time and then getting it in orbit is much harder, and they are, perhaps, less intrinsically interesting than Jupiter and Saturn.
The voyagers did carry gold disks, but this was not a serious attempt to contact alien intelligence. It has a symbolic purpose. A record of humanity will exist somewhere in the galaxy long after we are gone.
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Like James K's answer details, probes have been sent to the outer planets even after the Voyagers.
However, the specific trajectory used by Voyager missions has not been reused. In fact, it was the specific position of the planets that inspired the whole program, initially called the Grand Tour.
The relative position of the outer planets in their orbits in late 1970's allowed a space probe to visit many of them and to achieve great speeds using a sequence of gravity assist maneuvers. This position only repeats once every 175 years, so it is very likely that future space probes in 2150's will take advantage of it.
There's not really much point in a “Grand Tour” trajectory any more. Sure, a mission to the outer solar system will always benefit from a gravity assist from Jupiter, but there's not much another flyby at Saturn or Uranus would gain you. For more thorough science than has already been done, you'll need orbiting probes like Galileo / Cassini / Juno. It's really serendipitous that the Grand Tour was possible in exactly the decade where it was most useful.
– leftaroundabout
25 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
It's a question of science return on investment. As @JamesK's answer notes, NASA has done several orbiters since the Voyagers. You get greater ROI when your probe can stay near the body you're interested and continue to observe it for a long time. The only Voyager type probe in that list is New Horizons, in the sense that Voyager type probes only do a flyby. In the case of Uranus, and points more distant, as @JamesK noted, it's extremely hard to get there in a reasonable time, and then slow down enough to enter orbit. So for them Voyager type probes have an advantage.
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
9
down vote
It does:
Galileo: Launched in 1989, orbited Jupiter for 7 years
Cassini-Huygens: Orbited Saturn for 13 years.
New Horizons: Fly-by of Jupiter and Pluto.
Juno: Currently in orbit around Jupiter.
Nasa, (and Esa) have created multiple outer planet probes. But they are costly and there is no reason to repeat what has already been done. So each mission has a different aim and purpose. Often this means not doing a fly-by, but getting the probe in orbit around the planet.
Uranus and Neptune have not be re-visited. They are very distant. Getting a probe out to them is possible. Getting something out to them in a reasonable amount of time and then getting it in orbit is much harder, and they are, perhaps, less intrinsically interesting than Jupiter and Saturn.
The voyagers did carry gold disks, but this was not a serious attempt to contact alien intelligence. It has a symbolic purpose. A record of humanity will exist somewhere in the galaxy long after we are gone.
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
It does:
Galileo: Launched in 1989, orbited Jupiter for 7 years
Cassini-Huygens: Orbited Saturn for 13 years.
New Horizons: Fly-by of Jupiter and Pluto.
Juno: Currently in orbit around Jupiter.
Nasa, (and Esa) have created multiple outer planet probes. But they are costly and there is no reason to repeat what has already been done. So each mission has a different aim and purpose. Often this means not doing a fly-by, but getting the probe in orbit around the planet.
Uranus and Neptune have not be re-visited. They are very distant. Getting a probe out to them is possible. Getting something out to them in a reasonable amount of time and then getting it in orbit is much harder, and they are, perhaps, less intrinsically interesting than Jupiter and Saturn.
The voyagers did carry gold disks, but this was not a serious attempt to contact alien intelligence. It has a symbolic purpose. A record of humanity will exist somewhere in the galaxy long after we are gone.
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
up vote
9
down vote
It does:
Galileo: Launched in 1989, orbited Jupiter for 7 years
Cassini-Huygens: Orbited Saturn for 13 years.
New Horizons: Fly-by of Jupiter and Pluto.
Juno: Currently in orbit around Jupiter.
Nasa, (and Esa) have created multiple outer planet probes. But they are costly and there is no reason to repeat what has already been done. So each mission has a different aim and purpose. Often this means not doing a fly-by, but getting the probe in orbit around the planet.
Uranus and Neptune have not be re-visited. They are very distant. Getting a probe out to them is possible. Getting something out to them in a reasonable amount of time and then getting it in orbit is much harder, and they are, perhaps, less intrinsically interesting than Jupiter and Saturn.
The voyagers did carry gold disks, but this was not a serious attempt to contact alien intelligence. It has a symbolic purpose. A record of humanity will exist somewhere in the galaxy long after we are gone.
It does:
Galileo: Launched in 1989, orbited Jupiter for 7 years
Cassini-Huygens: Orbited Saturn for 13 years.
New Horizons: Fly-by of Jupiter and Pluto.
Juno: Currently in orbit around Jupiter.
Nasa, (and Esa) have created multiple outer planet probes. But they are costly and there is no reason to repeat what has already been done. So each mission has a different aim and purpose. Often this means not doing a fly-by, but getting the probe in orbit around the planet.
Uranus and Neptune have not be re-visited. They are very distant. Getting a probe out to them is possible. Getting something out to them in a reasonable amount of time and then getting it in orbit is much harder, and they are, perhaps, less intrinsically interesting than Jupiter and Saturn.
The voyagers did carry gold disks, but this was not a serious attempt to contact alien intelligence. It has a symbolic purpose. A record of humanity will exist somewhere in the galaxy long after we are gone.
edited 3 hours ago
answered 6 hours ago
James K
32.4k248106
32.4k248106
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Like James K's answer details, probes have been sent to the outer planets even after the Voyagers.
However, the specific trajectory used by Voyager missions has not been reused. In fact, it was the specific position of the planets that inspired the whole program, initially called the Grand Tour.
The relative position of the outer planets in their orbits in late 1970's allowed a space probe to visit many of them and to achieve great speeds using a sequence of gravity assist maneuvers. This position only repeats once every 175 years, so it is very likely that future space probes in 2150's will take advantage of it.
There's not really much point in a “Grand Tour” trajectory any more. Sure, a mission to the outer solar system will always benefit from a gravity assist from Jupiter, but there's not much another flyby at Saturn or Uranus would gain you. For more thorough science than has already been done, you'll need orbiting probes like Galileo / Cassini / Juno. It's really serendipitous that the Grand Tour was possible in exactly the decade where it was most useful.
– leftaroundabout
25 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Like James K's answer details, probes have been sent to the outer planets even after the Voyagers.
However, the specific trajectory used by Voyager missions has not been reused. In fact, it was the specific position of the planets that inspired the whole program, initially called the Grand Tour.
The relative position of the outer planets in their orbits in late 1970's allowed a space probe to visit many of them and to achieve great speeds using a sequence of gravity assist maneuvers. This position only repeats once every 175 years, so it is very likely that future space probes in 2150's will take advantage of it.
There's not really much point in a “Grand Tour” trajectory any more. Sure, a mission to the outer solar system will always benefit from a gravity assist from Jupiter, but there's not much another flyby at Saturn or Uranus would gain you. For more thorough science than has already been done, you'll need orbiting probes like Galileo / Cassini / Juno. It's really serendipitous that the Grand Tour was possible in exactly the decade where it was most useful.
– leftaroundabout
25 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Like James K's answer details, probes have been sent to the outer planets even after the Voyagers.
However, the specific trajectory used by Voyager missions has not been reused. In fact, it was the specific position of the planets that inspired the whole program, initially called the Grand Tour.
The relative position of the outer planets in their orbits in late 1970's allowed a space probe to visit many of them and to achieve great speeds using a sequence of gravity assist maneuvers. This position only repeats once every 175 years, so it is very likely that future space probes in 2150's will take advantage of it.
Like James K's answer details, probes have been sent to the outer planets even after the Voyagers.
However, the specific trajectory used by Voyager missions has not been reused. In fact, it was the specific position of the planets that inspired the whole program, initially called the Grand Tour.
The relative position of the outer planets in their orbits in late 1970's allowed a space probe to visit many of them and to achieve great speeds using a sequence of gravity assist maneuvers. This position only repeats once every 175 years, so it is very likely that future space probes in 2150's will take advantage of it.
answered 1 hour ago
jpa
26112
26112
There's not really much point in a “Grand Tour” trajectory any more. Sure, a mission to the outer solar system will always benefit from a gravity assist from Jupiter, but there's not much another flyby at Saturn or Uranus would gain you. For more thorough science than has already been done, you'll need orbiting probes like Galileo / Cassini / Juno. It's really serendipitous that the Grand Tour was possible in exactly the decade where it was most useful.
– leftaroundabout
25 mins ago
add a comment |
There's not really much point in a “Grand Tour” trajectory any more. Sure, a mission to the outer solar system will always benefit from a gravity assist from Jupiter, but there's not much another flyby at Saturn or Uranus would gain you. For more thorough science than has already been done, you'll need orbiting probes like Galileo / Cassini / Juno. It's really serendipitous that the Grand Tour was possible in exactly the decade where it was most useful.
– leftaroundabout
25 mins ago
There's not really much point in a “Grand Tour” trajectory any more. Sure, a mission to the outer solar system will always benefit from a gravity assist from Jupiter, but there's not much another flyby at Saturn or Uranus would gain you. For more thorough science than has already been done, you'll need orbiting probes like Galileo / Cassini / Juno. It's really serendipitous that the Grand Tour was possible in exactly the decade where it was most useful.
– leftaroundabout
25 mins ago
There's not really much point in a “Grand Tour” trajectory any more. Sure, a mission to the outer solar system will always benefit from a gravity assist from Jupiter, but there's not much another flyby at Saturn or Uranus would gain you. For more thorough science than has already been done, you'll need orbiting probes like Galileo / Cassini / Juno. It's really serendipitous that the Grand Tour was possible in exactly the decade where it was most useful.
– leftaroundabout
25 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
It's a question of science return on investment. As @JamesK's answer notes, NASA has done several orbiters since the Voyagers. You get greater ROI when your probe can stay near the body you're interested and continue to observe it for a long time. The only Voyager type probe in that list is New Horizons, in the sense that Voyager type probes only do a flyby. In the case of Uranus, and points more distant, as @JamesK noted, it's extremely hard to get there in a reasonable time, and then slow down enough to enter orbit. So for them Voyager type probes have an advantage.
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
It's a question of science return on investment. As @JamesK's answer notes, NASA has done several orbiters since the Voyagers. You get greater ROI when your probe can stay near the body you're interested and continue to observe it for a long time. The only Voyager type probe in that list is New Horizons, in the sense that Voyager type probes only do a flyby. In the case of Uranus, and points more distant, as @JamesK noted, it's extremely hard to get there in a reasonable time, and then slow down enough to enter orbit. So for them Voyager type probes have an advantage.
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
It's a question of science return on investment. As @JamesK's answer notes, NASA has done several orbiters since the Voyagers. You get greater ROI when your probe can stay near the body you're interested and continue to observe it for a long time. The only Voyager type probe in that list is New Horizons, in the sense that Voyager type probes only do a flyby. In the case of Uranus, and points more distant, as @JamesK noted, it's extremely hard to get there in a reasonable time, and then slow down enough to enter orbit. So for them Voyager type probes have an advantage.
It's a question of science return on investment. As @JamesK's answer notes, NASA has done several orbiters since the Voyagers. You get greater ROI when your probe can stay near the body you're interested and continue to observe it for a long time. The only Voyager type probe in that list is New Horizons, in the sense that Voyager type probes only do a flyby. In the case of Uranus, and points more distant, as @JamesK noted, it's extremely hard to get there in a reasonable time, and then slow down enough to enter orbit. So for them Voyager type probes have an advantage.
answered 1 hour ago
Sean Lake
2,429716
2,429716
add a comment |
add a comment |
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2
Consider moving to space exploration.
– James K
6 hours ago
1
I don't get what you mean by "it will increase the chances of letting them (If they exist) our presence, right?" Are you talking about Aliens? That wasn't the purpose of the Voyager missions.
– James K
6 hours ago
"They" could be either aliens or future earthlings - I don't know. If that's not their one of missions, why would Voyagers carrying gold plated record disks etc?
– shan
5 hours ago
As I recall, the voyager crafts were sent when the planets were properly aligned for gravity assists. That probably doesn't happen very often. I also think we learn a lot more by having spacecraft orbit a planet vs fly by a planet. There's not all that much to gain by sending a probe out of the solar system, not that they should never do it, but it's not a top priority. I would also add that if contact is the goal, a tiny spacecraft isn't a likely way to do it. Sending radio-waterhole transmissions or listening for them is more likely.
– userLTK
4 hours ago
The aliens got really pissed and fined NASA 20 trillion spnrgls.
– Bob Jarvis
3 mins ago