On this day in space! Sept. 5, 1977: NASA launches Voyager 1 on epic journey across the solar system

On Sept. 5, 1977, Voyager 1 began its epic journey through deep space with a glorious morning launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Voyager 1 initially launched on a mission to explore the outer planets. After flying by Jupiter and Saturn in 1979 and 1980, the spacecraft took a sharp turn and started heading straight out of the solar system. Voyager 1 became

The top 3

  1. Top 3 Most Distant Human-Made Objects: Voyager 1 is currently the most distant human-made object from Earth, at over 15 billion miles (24 billion km), followed by Voyager 2 and then Pioneer 10.
  2. Longest-Operating Deep Space Missions: Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have been operating for over 45 years, far exceeding their original mission durations and continuing to send data from interstellar space.
  3. First Probes to Reach Interstellar Space: Voyager 1 made history by entering interstellar space on August 25, 2012, with its twin, Voyager 2, following on November 5, 2018, becoming the only human-made objects to do so.

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