Should NASA turn Voyager I back around?

[dyrtydog]

This story has already been written. Vgr will send out signals while broken on an alien planet, and Kirk and crew will investigate this "god" only to discover it was Voyager 1

[Funkyterrance]

Should NASA turn it around and put the pedal to the metal to get it back to the Earth?

No. The idea has always been to keep going and explore more about the boundary between our solar system and the rest of our galaxy. It will keep doing so even after it runs out of "gas."

Yeah but can it communicate without "juice"?

Sort of. It will keep going for a few years before 2025 with enough power left to send signals, but not to run its main scientific instruments.

They did not give it solar panels? It could communicate forever.

Even solar panels have a lifespan.

[dyrtydog]

not if they were made of Twinkies

[Dukasaur]

This story has already been written. Vgr will send out signals while broken on an alien planet, and Kirk and crew will investigate this "god" only to discover it was Voyager 1

Finally, someone points out the obvious!

[Timminz]

Who are we trying to trap here?

[notyou2]

Trekkies and it's working.

[2dimes]

Who are we trying to trap here?

Andy.

[saxitoxin]

Should NASA turn it around and put the pedal to the metal to get it back to the Earth?

No. The idea has always been to keep going and explore more about the boundary between our solar system and the rest of our galaxy. It will keep doing so even after it runs out of "gas."

!!!!!!!!!!!TRAP THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAXI TRAPPED METSFANMAX!

OH YEAH, SAXI'S THE GREATEST! SAXI'S THE GREATEST!

[nietzsche]

hahaha

[Phatscotty]

Should NASA turn it around and put the pedal to the metal to get it back to the Earth?

No. The idea has always been to keep going and explore more about the boundary between our solar system and the rest of our galaxy. It will keep doing so even after it runs out of "gas."

Yeah but can it communicate without "juice"?

Sort of. It will keep going for a few years before 2025 with enough power left to send signals, but not to run its main scientific instruments.

They did not give it solar panels? It could communicate forever.

Solar panel technology barely existed in 1977.

But it will solve all our problems in 2013

[Funkyterrance]

!!!!!!!!!!!TRAP THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAXI TRAPPED METSFANMAX!

OH YEAH, SAXI'S THE GREATEST! SAXI'S THE GREATEST!

There, there, saxi. I think you need a little lie-down. It's only a game, honey.

[Metsfanmax]

Solar panel technology barely existed in 1977.

But it will solve all our problems in 2013

It's amazing what we can do with technology in the span of only a few decades, right?

BTW: Trap thread's not fair when you're listed by name in the very first post!

[Funkyterrance]

I never thought this thread was a trap but I'm offended in that I think it is biased towards Astrophysicists.

[Pedronicus]

I've stopped posting in here because of all the saxi trap threads. They scare me.

[Funkyterrance]

Yeah, saxi is way above creating a trap thread. He's a gentleman and a scholar. Shame on you for even suggesting such a thing timminz.

[Army of GOD]

uh oh, saxi posted bellsprout. This is definitely a trapthread for me.

[Funkyterrance]

uh oh, saxi posted bellsprout. This is definitely a trapthread for me.

Ditto.

[Army of GOD]

uh oh, saxi posted bellsprout. This is definitely a trapthread for me.

Ditto.

[Funkyterrance]

uh oh, saxi posted bellsprout. This is definitely a trapthread for me.

Ditto.

Hehe, wasn't sure if you'd catch that or not.

[Army of GOD]

shut up

[Phatscotty]

[Funkyterrance]

shut up

Lick my pokeballs.

[2dimes]

Is it beyond half way yet?

[whitestazn88]

just to clarify something, solar panels would stop working on the voyager like.... around uranus? i don't know exactly where, but they're not very efficient, and the strength of the sun is not strong enough that far from it, and once it passes the kuiper belt (if it even had that capability), it would still be 4.some light years away from the nearest star, so I doubt it could draw power from any light source.

shit, our solar system is so big that voyager 1, given infinite fuel, probably won't even reach the oort cloud by the time humanity has destroyed itself.

[Dukasaur]

just to clarify something, solar panels would stop working on the voyager like.... around uranus? i don't know exactly where, but they're not very efficient, and the strength of the sun is not strong enough that far from it, and once it passes the kuiper belt (if it even had that capability), it would still be 4.some light years away from the nearest star, so I doubt it could draw power from any light source.

shit, our solar system is so big that voyager 1, given infinite fuel, probably won't even reach the oort cloud by the time humanity has destroyed itself.

Just to clarify, the light is indeed too dim where the Voyagers (1 and 2) are now for solar panels to have any effect. However, the Voyagers are powered by RTG nuclear reactors and 4 of the 10 scientific instruments on board Voyager 1 and 5 of the 10 scientific instruments on board Voyager 2 are still functioning.

They are also still under their own propulsion and accelerating. Voyager 1 is expected to encounter another star system first: within 40,000 years. They are heading in different directions, although both are riding the bow of the Heliosheath and are expected to break out into open space within a decade.