Space Quote: Message in a Bottle to the Universe

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Golden Record placed on Voyager I and II. (NASA)

“This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than 4 billion who inhabit the planet Earth. We human beings are still divided into nation states, but these states are rapidly becoming a single global civilization.

We cast this message into the cosmos. It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some–perhaps many–may have inhabited planets and spacefaring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message:

This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe.”

–Statement by then President Jimmy Carter in July 29, 1977 that was placed in both Voyager I and II, both of which are now barreling beyond our solar system. Voyager II was launched on August 20, 1977 followed by Voyager I on September 5, 1977.

Looking Back at What Did Not Work in 2024

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA’s new Advanced Composite Solar Sail System. (NASA)

It is worthwhile reflecting on all of the space successes in 2024, though if we believe we learn from our mistakes then it would seem the mission shortcomings are worth highlighting as well.

Fortunately, Live Science has prepared a list for our review. Its article “10 Times Space Missions Went Very Wrong in 2024” includes well known stories, such as the stranded Starliner and SpaceX rocket woes, as well as less covered items, such as:

  • Tumbling Solar Sail – the failure of NASA’s new Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3);
  • Shattering Spacecraft – multiple cases of new space debris and close calls that could have impacted other space missions; and
  • Multiple Voyager Issues – the continued decline of the two Voyager probes as they reach further into space.

Check out the story for a full list of issues.

Note: This website has also covered a number of flubs, including:

Space Stories: Potential Life on Uranus, a Sick ISS Astronaut, and a Feasting Black Hole

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Uranus captured the James Webb Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). This Webb image also shows 9 of the planet’s 27 moons. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

—BBC: “New Study on Moons of Uranus Raises Chance of Life“

The Voyager 2 observations had suggested that its two largest moons — Titania and Oberon — often orbit outside the magnetosphere. However, the new study indicates they tend to stay inside the protective bubble, making it easier for scientists to magnetically detect potential subsurface oceans. “Both are thought to be prime candidates for hosting liquid water oceans in the Uranian system due to their large size relative to the other major moons,” Jet Propulsion Laboratory planetary scientist and study co-author Corey Cochrane said.

—Scotsman: “Nasa Astronauts Tight-lipped on Who was Ill After Long Space Station Mission“

Three Nasa astronauts whose prolonged space station mission ended with a trip to hospital last month have declined to say which one of them was sick. Astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps publicly discussed their spaceflight for the first time since returning from the International Space Station on October 25.

—NOIRLab: “NSF NOIRLab Astronomers Discover the Fastest-Feeding Black Hole in the Early Universe“

Supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies, and modern telescopes continue to observe them at surprisingly early times in the Universe’s evolution. It’s difficult to understand how these black holes were able to grow so big so rapidly. But with the discovery of a low-mass supermassive black hole feasting on material at an extreme rate, seen just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, astronomers now have valuable new insights into the mechanisms of rapidly growing black holes in the early Universe.

Voyager 2 Still Operating, But With One Less Instrument

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Image (Credit): Instruments on the Voyager spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Last week, NASA announced its decision to turn off one of Voyager 2’s scientific instruments to save energy. The plasma science instrument is now silent. It was used to measure the amount of plasma, or electrically charged atoms, as well as the direction it is flowing. The same instrument on Voyager 1 stopped working in 1980.

It is just amazing that the two Voyagers continue on their voyage beyond our solar system while sharing the experience with us. As of a few minutes ago, Voyager 1 was about 15.4 billion miles away (Voyager 2 is a little closer) and it took about 22 hours and 54 minutes for light to travel from the Voyager 1 spacecraft to Earth.

You can go to this NASA site to learn more about the mission as well as the status of the various scientific instruments.

Credit: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/where-are-they-now/