Thirty Five years ago today Voyager Two was launched

[Sticks]

Today I saw this tweet from the official Twitter account of Voyager Two

It reads "20 August 1977 - launch date for Voyager 2. I was launched 35 years ago today."

I had no idea this anniversary was coming up.

We go on about Opportunity and how much longer it lasted beyond it's expected life, both Voyager craft have been going longer and are still sending back data.

A while ago I was given a copy of a set of proceedings from the James Watt International Gold Medal Lecture, given on 25 June 1980. For reference it's reference is Proceedings 1980, Volume 194 No.28 entitled "The Voyager Space Craft" given by Raymond L Heacock. ISSN 0020-3483

I was given permission by the Council of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to post an electronic copy on one of my websites.

It is a pdf file and this is a direct link to that file.

[Glom]

And they're in much lonelier space, their RTGs slowly giving out.

[ravens_cry]

I am glad we don't have sentient machines yet.
It would be a cruel, cruel thing to do.

[Glom]

At least they had the chance to get away from it all.

[Xibalba]

Well that is fantastic.
Happy birthday Voyager 2, even though you are the second one, we like you better than your older brother.

[Rhaedas]

Voyager 2 got a lot more of the press because it continued to other planets, but that's because Voyager 1's path was changed to do a close flyby of Titan after Pioneer 11 detected a thick atmosphere. Originally Voyager 1 was going to go on to Pluto, but that swing by Titan flung it a different direction. Each probe tells us more of what to look for with the next one.

[Glom]

Voyager 2 got a lot more of the press because it continued to other planets, but that's because Voyager 1's path was changed to do a close flyby of Titan after Pioneer 11 detected a thick atmosphere. Originally Voyager 1 was going to go on to Pluto, but that swing by Titan flung it a different direction. Each probe tells us more of what to look for with the next one.

Shocking. To think that before Voyager 1 we didn't know that about Titan.

[ToSeek]

Well that is fantastic.
Happy birthday Voyager 2, even though you are the second one, we like you better than your older brother.

Voyager 2 was actually launched first. It was referred to as 2 because 1 was sent on a more optimal trajectory that got it to Jupiter (and Saturn) first.

[Van Rijn]

Shocking. To think that before Voyager 1 we didn't know that about Titan.

Some things were known before Pioneer 11 and the Voyagers, but details were limited. It was long known that Titan had a very significant atmosphere, but it was thicker than expected, and the composition was different. Titan had previously been listed as the largest satellite in the solar system, that changed to Ganymede.

[KaiYeves]

A truly fantastic mission, even more incredible because it continues now, and will continue for much, much longer. (Even if the Voyagers aren't communicating then.)

[ravens_cry]

I believe Io was the first world besides Earth to be confirmed to have volcanism, and this discovery was by a Voyager probe..
They also discovered the Death Star.
Well, the Herschel crater anyway.

[Glom]

Oh dear

[NEOWatcher]

Oh dear

I don't get it...

[Rhaedas]

Oh dear

LOL.

There was an early Gary Larson comic, with astronauts about to fly around to the far side of the Moon, and the far side had a big wood frame, like a stage prop. Never could find it online anywhere.

[KaiYeves]

Oh dear

Ha, the photo in the link's from the Exploring the Planets gallery at the National Air and Space Museum!