“We are 44 and a half years old,” physicist Ralph McNutt told the magazine. “So we have 10 times the guarantee for the cursed things.” Voyager spacecraft were first assembled to explore the most remote areas of our solar system, with scientists hoping to capture images of Saturn, Jupiter, Poseidon and Uranus. Both spacecraft launched in the summer of 1977 and Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have exceeded the researcher’s craziest expectations. The probes gave scientists their first examinations of the moons of these distant planets, with Voyager 2 becoming the first spacecraft to fly across Uranus and Poseidon. To date, the boat is the only detector to make such a voyage. “Four years — that was the primary mission,” added Suzanne Dodd, project manager for the Voyager launch. “But if an engineer had the option to install a component that was 10 percent more expensive, but was not something needed for a four-year mission, he just kept going and doing it. And they would not necessarily say it to the administration. 45 years after launch, both boats are in perfect working order. In 2012, Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space, a part of the universe outside our immediate solar system. Voyager 2 reached interstellar space six years later, continuing to transmit data to scientists back on Earth. Most famous, however, Voyager’s work also included two files embedded with data on whether extraterrestrial life manages to get its hands on the detectors. These records include images of various wildlife on Earth, including various members of the human race. The records also include a recording of Bach Concerto No. 2 and Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode.” The records also carry a message from then-President Jimmy Carter. “We hope that one day, having solved the problems we face, we will join a community of galactic cultures,” Carter was quoted as saying in the archive. “This album represents our hope and determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.”
