back to article Voyager 1 arrives on ‘magnetic highway for charged particles’

Venerable spacecraft Voyager 1 has arrived in the most distant part of space that can be considered part of the solar system. NASA has labelled this region of space “a magnetic highway for charged particles” because it contains particles radiating out from the sun along with interstellar particles zipping into our …

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  1. FartingHippo
    Alien

    They're suppressing the data!

    If you speed up the changes in the magnetic flux, then play it backwards, you get rickrolled. The pandimensional overlords of the universe are a bit behind the times, joke-wise, but you'd be a fool to point that out.

  2. Thorsten
    Alien

    Vogons?

    Reading the words "highway", "roadworks", and "space" in the same article makes me very nervous. Glad to have a towel here in the office.

    1. Zaphod.Beeblebrox
      Alien

      Re: Vogons?

      As long as space isn't filled with impossibly huge yellow somethings that look more like they have been congealed than constructed and hang in the air in much the same way that bricks don't, I think we are OK...

      1. Swoop
        Alien

        Re: Vogons?

        With a handle like Zaphod Beeblebrox you should worry not. Just fire up the Infinite Improbability Drive...

        1. Zaphod.Beeblebrox

          Re: Vogons?

          Oh, right, good thing I've got the Heart of Gold, I'm pretty sure I gave my electronic thumb to Ford Prefect...

  3. James 36
    Go

    thanks for all the fish

    I am pleasantly surprised Voyager 1 is still sending us stuff,

    well done that spacecraft !

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Am I missing something with that graph?

    The article talks about what was sampled on and around August 25th, however the plot seems to stop before August?

  5. Paul Lingwood
    Thumb Up

    Voyage, voyage...

    Plus loin que la nuit et le jour,

    Voyage Voyage

    De la terre à l'espace interstellaire

    Voyage Voyage

    Éternellement.

    (know your 80's)

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: Voyage, voyage...

      Now you did it!

      I shall employ my unparalleled vodoo powers to sic a tax audit on you for revenge!

    2. Mako

      Re: Voyage, voyage...

      Oh no! What have you done?!

      It's in my head! It's in my HEAD!!!

      1. Paul Lingwood

        Re: Voyage, voyage...

        heh heh heh

  6. Unicornpiss
    Pint

    Good engineering

    There are anvils that are less reliable than the two Voyager probes. (and the Mars probes) It's a shame the rest of the space program has devolved into what it is today from the "glory days."

    1. Robert E A Harvey

      Re: Good engineering

      That's everything I was going to say, and said better!

    2. Kool-Aid drinker
      Thumb Up

      Re: Good engineering

      Take an upvote Sir; Very well said.

      1. lglethal Silver badge
        Go

        Re: Good engineering

        Come now its not all bad! The Martian rovers Opportunity and Spirit despite only being expected to last 6 weeks have so far lasted many years (1 is even still going!).

        The upcoming Curiosity Rover whilst only having a mission thats supposed to last 2 years is expected to continue on for at least 5 more after that.

        The engineering in the Space field is stil amazing, there's just less of it nowadays because we waste all of our money on unimportant things... like bailing out banks...

        1. Fibbles

          Re: Good engineering

          http://xkcd.com/695/

    3. Stratman
      Thumb Up

      Note to beancounters

      This is what happens when you build to a specification, not a price.

  7. JimmyPage
    Thumb Up

    How many of it's designers has it outlived ?

    amazing engineering.

    1. John 104

      Re: How many of it's designers has it outlived ?

      @JimmyPage

      They don't build them like they used to... :)

      I remember when this thing launched. I'm not much of a space buff, but it is always fascinating to read articles about it and the latest chunk of space it is looking at, and to remeber that I was a child when it went up!

  8. Swoop
    Pint

    Awesome

    Just pause a moment to consider...

    Launched 35 years ago. Still functioning. 17 light hours from Earth. I mean, 17 light hours!!

    Bloody well done, the Voyager team!

    1. Tom 38

      Re: Awesome

      Not just this, but it is also going where nothing man made has ever gone before, exploring parts of space that we can only speculate about their behaviour. Soon, this thing will be outside of the solar system's influence, into real space, and we will get a better glimpse into what is beyond.

      Personally, I think it will be as Jayne says in Serenity - "Oh, hell. I've been to the edge. Just looked like more space"

      1. Swoop

        Re: Awesome

        As you say, Tom, it will be the first man made object to venture beyond the Heliopause. Will that qualify it as our first starship?

        1. sisk

          Re: Awesome

          I think for it to qualify as a starship it would actually have to make it to another star, so maybe in a couple million years. I really hope we have more efficient starships long before then.

          1. b166er

            Re: Awesome

            Wonder how long it'll be before we catch up with it, do a battery swap and leave it to continue on it's journey?

    2. asdf

      Re: Awesome

      17 light hours is amazing but over 30 years to get that far shows just how slow our technology is. At this speed it would take Voyager longer than the current age of the Universe to go to the next closest galaxy. We are truly are old ladies on the intergalactic highway.

      1. asdf
        Headmaster

        Re: Awesome

        Sorry misspoke meant it would take longer than the age of the universe to get to the Andromeda galaxy.

  9. Scott 2
    Joke

    Curiosity has the potential to last a while....

    ... but I suspect it'll break down when it's warranty expires.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Far enough...

    Is it far enough away yet to hear Hitler opening the Olympics?

    But seriously, I would laugh my pants off if it hit a massive black wall full of little white lights.

    1. Rocket

      Re: Far enough...

      > But seriously, I would laugh my pants off if it hit a massive black wall full of little white lights.

      Sounds to me like it did .. entering and reentering the magnetic field ...

      If it does manage to get through and out: Is it insured for crossing the galactic super highway?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not long to go before it becomes V'ger.

  12. Andy 70
    Thumb Up

    mankind's tombstone for eternity

    at least something of mankind will survive the sun's eventual destruction, even if commities and budget cuts ensure that we don't.

    provided it doesn't fall into a star or get eaten by a black hole. but given that [hitchhickers] space is so mind bogglingly big [/hitchhikers] etc. hopefully that won't happen for a while.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Deterrent

    Next time, they should send a snapshot of the entire internet instead of a gold record with bugger all on it.

    Aliens need to learn of and fear our dreaded Ceiling Cat.

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