OUT THERE! I find I rather difficult to believe that it has been thirty years since we watched the spacecraft "Voyager I " being launched at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was a "twin" mission, too, but "Voyager II" was not sent on it's tour until a month later, in August of that same year of 1977.
Such ventures into space were rare in those days and it shows us how far we have progressed in the business of space spaced exploration. We retained some negative reservations in the back of our minds concerning possible faults at take-off time. That's when it was a good feeling to know we had "back-up"craft ready to go with and modifications and corrections to assure good flight
When "Voyager II " did go it went on its own. They were the same size and type in most details. The wide bell-like it extended in space measures about twelve feet across and the longest, trailing antennae line is fifty-seven feet in length .They seem to have been downright "tiny" when compared to just the cargo our present-day shuttle craft deliver to the International.
As I recall both Voyage I and II had the same memory capacity as did my own desktop computer at that time - 74K. Those men women who have had the job of guiding the crafts from earth stations were forced to remove portions of the craft's memory in order to have room t insert orders, directives and change; after which they would restore the memory needed. I am sure that was a minor thing these scores of people had to do over these thirty years or so. We should honor them highly as we "gloat" a bit over the obvious success of both mission units. Both missions, studied from their infancy, can lead you to your destiny. These craft were placed in an orbit which swung them from one planet to another at greater rates of speed. Look for such a special path in our educational planning.
We call our solar system into an area know as the sheathing. It will be there for a while because the heliosheath is three or four billion (that's"b", mind you!) miles from Earth, until it reaches the very edge which remains unknown.
It need not remain so.
Space talk fascinates me. One of the most amazing things about it all is the fact that somewhere about us there are young men and women who will solve all the mysteries of space which puzzle us today in this year called 2006. Voyager I is to be out there in the heliosheath for another ten years or so before it arrives at heliopause.
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 9-24-06 [c-462wds]
