Voyager 1 to Determine if Charged Particles at Edge of Solar System Bank to One Side or the Other

03/10/2011 02:08AM

Voyager 1 to Determine if Charged Particles at Edge of Solar System Bank to One Side or the Other

In which direction is the sun's stream of charged particles banking when it nears the edge of the solar system? Knowing the strength and direction of the solar wind is critical to understanding the shape of our solar bubble and estimating how much farther it is to the edge of interstellar space. Over the next several days, scientists at JPL will try a series of maneuvers to orient NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft so that it can act as a "weather vane" and measure the solar wind. Even though Voyager 1 has been traveling through the solar system for 33 years and is 10.8 billion miles away, it is still a limber enough gymnast to perform the necessary acrobatics that it has not been asked it to do in 21 years.


Comments:

  • keydoggy [Clifford Davis]
  • 03/10/2011 06:00PM
I think its truly awesome that these two are still contributing to cutting edge research 33 years after their launch.
Ditto