tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post2799173150146539835..comments2024-03-28T14:46:40.884-05:00Comments on Althouse: Voyager 1 becomes the first man-made object to enter interstellar space. Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4358179514141671302013-09-13T14:36:14.733-05:002013-09-13T14:36:14.733-05:00Cassettes didn't have as fine a quality sound ...<i> Cassettes didn't have as fine a quality sound but were so very much more convenient.</i><br /><br />On a related note, Ray Dolby died yesterday.eddie willershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04624004872700778288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2537588701526279392013-09-13T11:31:59.959-05:002013-09-13T11:31:59.959-05:00The nearest galaxy (besides our own) is “only” som...The nearest galaxy (besides our own) is “only” some 150,000 light years away, not 2½ million. The latter is the distance to Andromeda, which is far from being the closest galaxy.Michael McNeilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14079419067976326138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17229088151363301392013-09-13T10:19:16.123-05:002013-09-13T10:19:16.123-05:00Anti-Obama comments in response to a Voyager probe...Anti-Obama comments in response to a Voyager probe article?!<br /><br />My modest proposal: a wingnut reinvention of the old surrealist game 'Exquisite Corpse'.<br /><br />Pick 3 words out of Webster's completely at random, then use them in a sentence criticising the President.<br /><br />I'll kick it off: orchestra, bob, Essene.C_Oliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17816922541525017016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-27438472058678080712013-09-13T06:23:45.218-05:002013-09-13T06:23:45.218-05:00"In human terms, that is the distance Preside..."In human terms, that is the distance President Obama would have had to travel to get Congress to pass his resolution on Syria. "<br /><br />He doesn't have go that far. Alpha Centauri would be far enough as long as it is a one-way trip.Sam vfm #111https://www.blogger.com/profile/05322018398644815685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-91196042193952701482013-09-13T00:32:42.769-05:002013-09-13T00:32:42.769-05:00Great. Now the Borg will know we're here.Great. Now the Borg will know we're here.Indigo Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07488424336985581412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19080404291409350562013-09-12T22:34:55.431-05:002013-09-12T22:34:55.431-05:00Voyager should just have stayed within a 1-day tri...Voyager should just have stayed within a 1-day trip of its home. Travel further than that is pointless; in the same period of time it could have read a few good books on the Oort Cloud instead.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01785626956259192411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-12220423281769477542013-09-12T21:32:05.161-05:002013-09-12T21:32:05.161-05:00The observable universe is 93 billion light years ...The observable universe is 93 billion light years across. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.khanacademy.org/science/cosmology-and-astronomy/universe-scale-topic/scale-small-large-tutorial/v/scale-of-the-large" rel="nofollow">Khan academy video</a><br /><br />In human terms, that is the distance President Obama would have had to travel to get Congress to pass his resolution on Syria.George M. Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07818413936028778734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-28312306845499690712013-09-12T21:27:19.393-05:002013-09-12T21:27:19.393-05:00Saturn is all "he never calls!"Saturn is all "he never calls!"Bob Ellisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10446972838620138676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26166747862400364842013-09-12T19:59:57.480-05:002013-09-12T19:59:57.480-05:00This helps people visualize the true immensity of ...This helps people visualize the true immensity of the cosmos. 17 light hours. 4 light years to the nearest star. 2.5 million light years to the nearest galaxy. No expeditions out of the solar system for a while.Elliott Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08926851577632076982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-64202170940238554842013-09-12T19:45:06.371-05:002013-09-12T19:45:06.371-05:00No pictures in a quarter century. Just like the k...No pictures in a quarter century. Just like the kids. You feed 'em, dress 'em, send 'em to school and they hair up their ass and take off and that's the last you hear. Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06981706601001285694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3960813864117664222013-09-12T19:30:02.142-05:002013-09-12T19:30:02.142-05:00Damnit, Charles Vegas, I wanted to link that.Damnit, Charles Vegas, I wanted to link that.Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-49235618606811630772013-09-12T18:33:37.638-05:002013-09-12T18:33:37.638-05:00Poor, lonely probe!Poor, lonely probe!Emil Blatzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04210594395302714971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30341702284389479672013-09-12T18:13:11.984-05:002013-09-12T18:13:11.984-05:00Best future reference to Voyager? Not "Star T...Best future reference to Voyager? Not "Star Trek: The Movie". Futurama did a thing where it returned as a killer robot with the name "V-giny". Every time it hoved into view, Frye giggled, even when it was trying to kill them. Strelnikovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12520900676193170036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8903330911052753862013-09-12T17:58:12.777-05:002013-09-12T17:58:12.777-05:00Haven't you all seen this?
http://xkcd.com/11...Haven't you all seen this?<br /><br />http://xkcd.com/1189/<br />CharlesVegashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14399104607856126358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-33540574553611980292013-09-12T17:57:00.120-05:002013-09-12T17:57:00.120-05:00Haven't you all seen this?
http://xkcd.com/11...Haven't you all seen this?<br /><br />http://xkcd.com/1189/<br />CharlesVegashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14399104607856126358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8635743113448792852013-09-12T17:41:16.033-05:002013-09-12T17:41:16.033-05:00This really depends on how you define a solar syst...<i>This really depends on how you define a solar system. To me it includes the Oort Cloud which means Voyager hasn't exited the solar system and might never.</i><br /><br />Voyager 1 won't reach the Cloud's nearest theoretical interior boundary for another 516 years or so. That of course assumes Voyager maintains its present relative velocity of 17 km/s (definitely won't), and also that the Oort Cloud does in fact exist (probably does).Lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06319411779044647512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-29807771077554371062013-09-12T17:29:33.162-05:002013-09-12T17:29:33.162-05:00Help! The government continues to "employ&quo...Help! The government continues to "employ" a staff of twelve people to track Voyager 1 - which has not broadcast back to Earth since 1990. What in Hell have these people been doing for the past 23 years - other than attending meetings and sneaking up and down the back stairs?<br /><br />We can shut down White House tours, limit the hours of VA health professionals as a result of the sequestration - but we continue to fund Voyager 1? Beam me up, Scotty.<br /><br />=================<br />Ignorant. The Voyagers continue to send a stream of telemetry of the nature of the electromagnetic and gravitational physics of the outer edge of our heliosphere, where the boundary was between our solar system and interstellar space. Evidence of smooth or iregular signals to give more evidence of the historical solar output and strength of the solar wind. Gas density - which matters if we send faster craft capable of generating a high energy X-Ray or gamma wave on collision with a H, He gas atom. <br /><br />It is not a staff of 12. It is 3 operators and 6-9 scientists that liaise part-time and represent America in feeding the data to some 60 universities and 18 physics centers globally. As well as analyzing the data themselves.<br /><br />White House tours? Let the tourists pay a fee and make it self-funding. Benefits for the Heroes Who Save Us All being scaled down due to excess and duplication of services? Had to be done. Scams abound. From PTSD overclaims to sleazy Vets that wheedle triple even quintuple compensation for the same claim from the Feds, States, and private charity groups Cedarfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00602418702398818596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-85700170755905037702013-09-12T17:23:07.643-05:002013-09-12T17:23:07.643-05:00His mother told him one day he would be a man,
And...His mother told him one day he would be a man,<br />And he would be the leader of a big ol' band,<br />Many people coming from miles around<br />To hear him play his music when the Sun go down.<br />Maybe some day your name would be in...the stars<br />Saying "Johnny B. Goode Tonight."<br /><br />America's contribution to interstellar music.George M. Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07818413936028778734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-67437632491630933902013-09-12T17:20:31.768-05:002013-09-12T17:20:31.768-05:00Just like the movie Space Cowboys but without the ...Just like the movie Space Cowboys but without the field trip.<br /><br />8-tracks never got the respect they deserved because the delivery system stank. Cassettes didn't have as fine a quality sound but were so very much more convenient.Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623422545436294378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26661930436976105902013-09-12T17:10:27.226-05:002013-09-12T17:10:27.226-05:00Voyager was launched in 1977, before laser disc an...Voyager was launched in 1977, before laser disc and CD technology. It carries a gold disc which looks like a vinyl LP: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Sounds_of_Earth_-_GPN-2000-001976.jpg" rel="nofollow">link</a><br /><br />It's ironic that most people on earth couldn't access that data today unless they had a turntable. chickelithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10773887469972534979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-66809192974468535642013-09-12T17:01:00.610-05:002013-09-12T17:01:00.610-05:0036 years to get out of the solar system? My hopes...36 years to get out of the solar system? My hopes for interstellar travel are fading.<br /><br />I'm reminded of the old Bob Newhart routine about the Wright brothers: "The flight covered only 1,000 feet? That's really gonna hurt our time to the coast."The Godfatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10575359417766667457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-74156443059866187992013-09-12T16:17:47.397-05:002013-09-12T16:17:47.397-05:00This really depends on how you define a solar syst...This really depends on how you define a solar system. To me it includes the Oort Cloud which means Voyager hasn't exited the solar system and might never.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11205752419540502278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-34377189066860458332013-09-12T15:56:50.708-05:002013-09-12T15:56:50.708-05:00>which has not broadcast back to Earth since 19...>which has not broadcast back to Earth since 1990.<br /><br />Voyager broadcasts to Earth regularly, roughly once a day, usually. It just doesn't send photos anymore (there's nothing to take a picture of where it is now) Several of the instruments: magnetometer, plasma wave detector, low energy charged particle detector,etc are still working. The LECP is on a rotating stepper platform that still sweeps across the sky. Amazing.<br /><br />> It takes 17 hours for transmissions to reach earth?<br /><br />Light travel time<br /><br />>The old scientist reprogrammed the spacecraft from 11.8 billion miles away?<br /><br />You make a new block of machine code and send commands to the spacecraft to "poke" it into memory in place of what's there now. A scary thing to do.Fictahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00454264303050808127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26090344663422387012013-09-12T15:53:21.732-05:002013-09-12T15:53:21.732-05:00Whew! It's Voyager 1.
We only have to worry...Whew! It's Voyager 1. <br />We only have to worry about Voyager 6!!madAsHellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01149940549262340795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4917753181729029762013-09-12T15:40:34.010-05:002013-09-12T15:40:34.010-05:00gadfly said: "The government continues to ...gadfly said: <i>"The government continues to 'employ' a staff of twelve people to track Voyager 1 - which has not broadcast back to Earth since 1990."</i><br /><br />Voyager 1 is still broadcasting; it's just that the camera has stopped working. NASA is still receiving data on radiation levels, cosmic rays, low energy charged particles, etc. No more photos, but Voyager has not stopped broadcasting.<br /><br />Also, fwiw, I suspect that the 12-person Voyager team also keeps tabs on Voyager 2, Pioneer 10, and Pioneer 11.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com