On February 14, 1990, space probe Voyager 1 snapped a photo of Earth from way, way, way out in space. This pale blue dot is still on the record books for being the farthest image taken of our planet: 3.75 billion miles.
In 2018, NASA's new Horizons space probe took pictures of two objects in the Kuiper Belt while 3.79 billion miles away from Earth. Technically a new Guinness record. But, because the NH images were not taken of Earth, the Voyager 1 image still holds the record.
Voyagers 1 and 2 were launched weeks apart in 1977 and unless they collide with something in the big void of total outer space, the twin space craft will sail on forever. They weren't built with brakes or a steering wheel.
Today, the Voyagers are still in radio contact with Earth scientists but space pros don’t expect these conversations to last much beyond 2030.
No comments:
Post a Comment