Interstellar 'Tsunami Waves' Sweep Past Voyager 1

Source - NASA Science News for Dec. 16, 2014

Since 2012, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has experienced three 'tsunami waves' in interstellar space. The most recent, which reached the spacecraft earlier this year, is still propagating outward according to new data.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/16dec_voyagercme/

The Sounds of Interstellar Space

Source - NASA Science News for Nov. 1, 2013

As Voyager 1 recedes from the solar system, researchers are hoping the spacecraft will beam back tones from plasma waves, a form of "interstellar music" that reveals conditions in the realm of the stars.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/01nov_ismsounds/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgQ9THRckJ0



License: Standard YouTube License

Voyager Captures Sounds of Interstellar Space

Source - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Sep 6, 2013

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft captured these sounds of interstellar space. Voyager 1's plasma wave instrument detected the vibrations of dense interstellar plasma, or ionized gas, from October to November 2012 and April to May 2013.

The graphic shows the frequency of the waves, which indicate the density of the plasma. Colors indicate the intensity of the waves, or how "loud" they are. Red indicates the loudest waves and blue indicates the weakest.

The soundtrack reproduces the amplitude and frequency of the plasma waves as "heard" by Voyager 1. The waves detected by the instrument antennas can be simply amplified and played through a speaker. These frequencies are within the range heard by human ears.

Scientists noticed that each occurrence involved a rising tone. The dashed line indicates that the rising tones follow the same slope. This means a continuously increasing density.

When scientists extrapolated this line even further back in time (not shown), they deduced that Voyager 1 first encountered interstellar plasma in August 2012.

The Voyager spacecraft were built and continue to be operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. The Voyager missions are a part of NASA's Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

For more information about Voyager, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/voyager and http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov .

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Iowa

 

License: Standard YouTube License

Voyager 1 Has Left the Solar System

Source - NASA Science News for Sept. 12, 2013

In an unexpected turn of events, researchers have realized that Voyager 1 left the solar system about a year ago. This event sets in motion a new era of exploration of the realm between the stars.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/12sep_voyager1/

Voyager 1 Approaches Interstellar Space

Source - NASA Science News for June 27, 2013

Three papers published in today's issue of Science suggest that Voyager 1, now more than 18 billion kilometers from the sun, is closer to becoming the first human-made object to reach interstellar space.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/27jun_voyager/

Voyager 1 Tastes Interstellar Space

Source - NASA Science News for Dec. 4, 2012

Eleven billion miles from Earth, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a "magnetic highway" that connects our solar system to interstellar space. This could be one of Voyager 1's last steps on its long journey to the stars.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/03dec_voyager1/

Voyager 1 at the Final Frontier

Source - NASA Science News for June 22, 2012

At the edge of the solar system, Voyager 1 is reporting a sharp increase in cosmic rays that could herald the spacecraft's long-awaited breakthrough into interstellar space.

The full story can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/21jun_finalfrontier/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFnJzyxd78o

A Big Surprise from the Edge of the Solar System

Source - NASA Science News for June 9, 2011

NASA's Voyager probes have reached the edge of the solar system and found something surprising there--a froth of magnetic bubbles separating us from the rest of the galaxy.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/09jun_bigsurprise/

Video source ScienceAtNASA on Jun 9, 2011:

Voyager Set to Enter Interstellar Space

Source - NASA Science News for April 28, 2011

More than 30 years after they were launched, NASA's two Voyager probes have traveled to the edge of the solar system and are on the threshold of interstellar space.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/28apr_voyager/

Voyager's Golden Record

Source -NASA Science News for April 28, 2011

NASA's Voyager probes are at the edge of the solar system carrying a message to possible extraterrestrial civilizations. Highlights include greetings from humans and whales, some of Earth's greatest music, and the brainwaves of a young woman in love.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/28apr_voyager2/

Are We Alone for 02/14/11 - Outta This World

Are We Alone - Outta This World

Earth may not be rare after all. New data from NASA’s Kepler mission suggests that the universe is chock-a-block with planets. More than a thousand new possible planets have just been found, and more than fifty of these might be suitable for life. Ready for cosmic company? We discuss the results of the Kepler mission in a roundtable with some of its top scientists.

Meanwhile, the Voyager spacecraft continues to be humanity’s point man in the race to interstellar space. Poised to leave our solar system, we reflect on the mission – including its on-board messages for aliens.

Plus, out-of-this world science. From lab coats to warp speed: does Hollywood get it right? Does it matter?

Guests:

• Jon Jenkins – Co-principal investigator for the Kepler Mission
• Doug Caldwell – Co-investigator and instrument scientist for the Kepler Mission
• Jessie Christiansen – Data scientist working on the Kepler mission
• Ed Stone – Professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, and former Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Jennifer Ouellette – Writer and former director, National Academy of Sciences’ Science and Entertainment Exchange

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Outta_This_World

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Planetary Society: Voyager Mission Status Bulletins

A friend of mine recently brought to my attention the article and URL referenced below regarding the Voyager Mission Status Bulletins, and I thought I should share it with the readers of this blog.

I have since The Planetary Society to the links and blogs listings on the sidebar (I could swear I added them a long time ago)

I hope you enjoy the article. Cheers ~ Jim


Here is a quote from the article at: http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/voyager/msb.html

"From 1977 to 1990, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory kept scientists and space enthusiasts informed about the status of the twin Voyager spacecraft through an intermittently printed newsletter that ran to 99 issues. Space fan (and pack rat!) Tom Faber kept his collection and, in 2010, scanned them and sent them to the Planetary Society. We are delighted to host these important historical documents here, and thank Mr. Faber for his patience in scanning them."

More information can be found on the The Planetary Society's blog: The Voyager Mission Updates

Voyager Makes an Interstellar Discovery

Source - NASA Science News for December 23, 2009

The solar system is passing through an interstellar cloud that physics says should not exist. In the Dec. 24th issue of Nature, a team of scientists reveal how NASA's Voyager spacecraft have solved the mystery.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/23dec_voyager.htm?list894285

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