October 11, 2024 8-10 PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: The Voyager Mission to the Outer Planets and Interstellar Space
Lecturer: Alan Cummings
Position: Senior Research Scientist
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
In 1977, NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft embarked on an incredible journey. After delivering stunning images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and many of their moons, the probes sailed on to study the boundary of our heliosphere. Voyager 1 crossed that frontier on August 25, 2012, becoming the first human-made object to enter interstellar space. Voyager 2 crossed on November 5, 2018. Our guest Dr. Cummings, one of the original Voyager scientists, will revisit the highlights of the mission. With enough resources on board to continue returning science data until ~2030, the Voyagers should add more discoveries until they become Earth’s silent ambassadors to the Milky Way, orbiting the center of our galaxy forever.