Interstellar Voyager
Poster Illustration Credit:
NASA, JPL-Caltech, Voyager
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977 on a
grand tour of the outer planets of the Solar System.
They have become the longest operating and most distant
spacecraft from Earth.
Both have traveled
beyond the heliosphere,
the realm defined by the influence of the solar wind
and the Sun's magnetic field.
On the 45th year
of their journey toward the stars
Voyager 1 and 2 reached nearly 22 light-hours and 18 light-hours
from the Sun respectively and remain
the only spacecraft currently exploring interstellar space.
Each spacecraft carries a
12-inch gold-plated copper disk with recordings
of sounds, pictures and messages.
The Golden Records
are intended to communicate
a story of life and culture on planet Earth, preserved
in a medium that can survive an interstellar journey for
a billion years.