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One Tough Job

When the two Voyager space craft launched in 1977 , they had a tough job ahead . Their mission was to explore Jupiter and Saturn ,two of the solar systems giant outer planets. During their journey , they would face freezing temperatures and powerful radiation . If something broke , the space probes would just have to make do with what they had.

一项艰巨的工作

当两艘“旅行者”号宇宙飞船于1977年发射时，他们面临着艰巨的任务。他们的任务是探索木星和土星，这两颗太阳系的巨大外行星。在旅途中，它们将面临冰冻的温度和强大的辐射。如果有什么东西坏了，太空探测器就只能将就着用它们现有的东西了。

Scientists designed the Voyagers to be tough. Radiation shields and computer-controlled heaters protected their instruments . The spacecraft also carried backups of important equipment , such as the thrusters used for steering. Their computers were programmed to deal with problems that might haappen.Computers in 1977 were very different from todays machines , though . Modern smartphones have about 7,500 times more computing power and 240 , 000 times more memory than those operating the Voyager spacecraft. Scientists guessed that the Voyagers would only last about five years in space . More than thirty-five years later , the twin spacecraft are still sending information back to Earth.

Can You Hear Me Now ?

As of 2014 , Voyager 1 is about twelve billion miles away. It communicates with Earth using a 22. 4-watt transmitter thats as strong as a refrigerator lightbulb. Signals take about seventeen hours to arrive . By that time , theyve faded to about 0.2 billion-billionths ( . 00000000000000000002 ) of a watt . NASAS Deep Space Network uses 70-meter ( 230 ft )dish antennas around the globe to catch the faint signa.

Planning

The Voyager launches were carefully timed. In the late 1970s , the four outer planetsorbits placed them in nearly a straight line . With the planets so close together , it became possible to visit several of them during the same trip. However , the spacecraft still had to travel billions of miles . Unfortunately , the rockets that launched the Voyagers into space could only get them to Jupiter-about halfway to Saturn . Scientists solved that problem by using Jupiters strong gravity to give the spacecraft a boost as it passed by . This technique is calleda gravity assist.

科学家们将“旅行者”号设计成坚韧的。辐射防护罩和计算机控制的加热器保护着他们的仪器。飞船还携带了重要设备的备份，例如用于操纵的推进器。他们的计算机被编程来处理可能出现的问题。不过，1977年的计算机与今天的机器大不相同。现代智能手机的计算能力是“旅行者”号飞船的7500倍，内存是后者的240000倍。科学家猜测，“旅行者”号在太空中只能维持大约五年。三十五年后，这对双胞胎飞船仍在向地球发送信息。

你现在能听到我说话吗？

截至2014年，旅行者1号距离地球约120亿英里。它使用一个22。4瓦特发射器，强度堪比冰箱灯泡。信号大约需要17个小时才能到达。到那时，它们已经衰减到大约2亿分之一瓦（0000000000000000002）。美国国家航空航天局的深空网络在全球范围内使用70米（230英尺）的碟形天线来捕捉微弱的信号。

规划

旅行者号的发射时间安排得很仔细。在20世纪70年代末，四颗外行星的轨道将它们几乎放在一条直线上。由于这些行星距离如此之近，在同一次旅行中可以访问其中的几个行星。然而，宇宙飞船仍然需要行驶数十亿英里。不幸的是，将“旅行者”号送入太空的火箭只能将它们带到距离土星约一半的木星。科学家们利用木星的强大引力在飞船经过时给它一个推力，从而解决了这个问题。这种技术被称为重力辅助。

A Rare Opportunity

The arrangement of planets when the Voyagers launched was an extremely rare event . To understand why , imagine a clock with hands showing the hours , minutes , and seconds.Each hand circles the clock face at a different rate : once a minute , once an hour , or once every twelve hours . Any time one hand passes another , the two line up . However , all three align much less frequently.The planets orbits take much longer than the clock hands revolutions , so they line up even less frequently . The four planets arrangement during the Voyager missions occurs onlyonce every 175 years.

The Main Task

At first , the Voyagers mission was to study Jupiter and Saturn , their larger moons , and Saturns rings . The spacecraft carried cameras and scientific instruments , including sensors for radiation , magnetic fields , and plasma.Using these instruments , the Voyagers collected information that changed how we understand our solar system.

难得的机会

旅行者号发射时行星的排列是极为罕见的事件。为了理解原因，想象一个指针显示小时、分钟和秒的时钟。每只指针以不同的速度绕钟面旋转：每分钟一次、每小时一次或每十二小时一次。每当一只手经过另一只手时，两只手就会排成一行。然而，这三颗行星的排列频率要低得多。行星的轨道比时针的旋转时间长得多，所以它们的排列频率更低。旅行者号任务期间，这四颗行星的排列每175年才发生一次。

主要任务

起初，旅行者号的任务是研究木星和土星、它们较大的卫星以及土星环。飞船携带了相机和科学仪器，包括辐射、磁场和等离子体传感器。旅行者号利用这些仪器收集了改变我们对太阳系理解的信息。

Jupiter

The Voyagers first target was Jupiter , the solar systems largest planet . Scientists had already studied Jupiter through telescopes , but the Voyagers sent back new information . They showed that the Great Red Spot was a huge storm that constantly rotated counterclockwise . They discovered a faint ring surrounding Jupiter , similar  to those that orbit Saturn. They also found that Jupiters moons are different from each other and from other planetsmoons. For example , the moon Europa is covered by a sheet of ice that scientists think might hide an ocean . lo , another of Jupiters moons , is covered with volcanoes that shoot gas and dust 306 kilometers ( 190 mi . ) above its surface . Before the Voyager missions , the only known active volcanoes in our solar system were on Earth. Scientists now know that lo is ten times more volcanically active than all of Earth !

Saturn

The Voyagers discoveries continued when they reached Saturn nine months apart , in 1980 and 1981. Close-up pictures showed new rings that could not be seen from Earth around the solar systems second-largest planet. Saturns rings also contain unexpected kinks and spokes , like bicycle wheels. Using time-lapse photos , scientists saw spokes forming and then dissolving again. Saturns moons were surprising as well. Several small moons act like " shepherds "for the ice and dust orbiting Saturn , keeping them in separate rings . Saturns largest moon ,Titan , was surrounded by a thick haze-an atmosphere ! This was such a shocking discovery that Voyager 1s flight path was changed to give it a closer look. Could Titan support life ? Some scientists think it could.

木星

旅行者号的第一个目标是太阳系最大的行星木星。科学家们已经通过望远镜对木星进行了研究，但旅行者号发回了新的信息。他们表明，大红斑是一场不断逆时针旋转的巨大风暴。他们发现木星周围有一个微弱的环，类似于环绕土星的环。他们还发现木星的卫星彼此不同，也与其他行星的卫星不同。例如，月球木卫二被一层冰覆盖，科学家认为这可能隐藏着一片海洋。木星的另一颗卫星lo被火山覆盖，火山在其表面上方306公里（190英里）处喷出气体和尘埃。在旅行者号任务之前，我们太阳系中唯一已知的活火山是在地球上。科学家们现在知道lo的火山活动是整个地球的十倍！

土星

旅行者号的发现在1980年和1981年相隔9个月到达土星时仍在继续。特写照片显示，在太阳系第二大行星周围，从地球上看不到新的光环。土星环还包含意想不到的扭结和辐条，就像自行车车轮一样。利用延时照片，科学家们看到辐条形成，然后再次溶解。土星的卫星也令人惊讶。几个小卫星就像“牧羊人”一样为围绕土星运行的冰和尘埃服务，将它们保持在不同的环中。土星最大的卫星，泰坦，被厚厚的雾霾包围着——大气层！这是一个令人震惊的发现，旅行者1号的飞行路线被改变，以便更仔细地观察。泰坦能维持生命吗？一些科学家认为可以。

After its Saturn flyby , Voyager 1 headed out of the area where most planets orbit the Sun . It was flying toward interstellar space ,the area beyond the Suns magnetic field. However , Voyager 2s position would let it continue toward Uranus . All its instruments were still working , so NASA decided to extend the mission.

No one knew what to expect from Uranus.This strange-lookingplanet is tipped on its side , possibly due toa run-in with anotherplanet-sized object. Voyager 2 passed the planet in January 1986. Its measurements showed that Uranuss sideways position twists its magnetic field into a corkscrew"tail" following the planet . Until then , scientists didnt even know Uranus had a magnetic field.

Neptune

When the Uranus flyby went well , NASA sent Voyager 2 to Neptune as well . It reached the planet in August of 1989 . There , it discovered five new moons . The largest moon , Triton , had geyser-like eruptions of dust and gas .Then , like Voyager 1 , Voyager 2 began its journey toward interstellar space.

在飞越土星后，旅行者1号离开了大多数行星绕太阳运行的区域。它正在飞向星际空间，即太阳磁场之外的区域。然而，旅行者2号的位置会让它继续朝着天王星前进。所有仪器仍在工作，因此美国国家航空航天局决定延长任务期限。

没有人知道天王星会发生什么。这颗看起来很奇怪的行星倾斜了，可能是因为与另一个行星大小的物体相撞。旅行者2号于1986年1月掠过地球。它的测量结果表明，天王星的侧向位置将其磁场扭曲成一个螺旋状的“尾巴”。在那之前，科学家们甚至不知道天王星有磁场。

海王星

当天王星的飞越进展顺利时，美国国家航空航天局也将旅行者2号送往海王星。它于1989年8月抵达地球。在那里，它发现了五颗新月。最大的卫星海卫一爆发了类似间歇泉的尘埃和气体。然后，与旅行者1号一样，旅行者2号开始了星际空间之旅.

The Golden Record

Gathering information is only part of the Voyagersmission . They are also carryinging formation out of the solar system-a message to non-earth life forms , or aliens .The message is on a twelve-inch " Golden Record " on the side of each spacecraft.The record includes music , art , and spoken greetings from around the world . It also includes sounds from nature.The outside of the record has a map showing Earths location in the universe.Aliens could use it to find Earth , but that probably wont happen anytime soon . Voyager 1 wont come close to another star for at least forty thousand years . Neither spacecraft will come close to another planet for millions of years.

The First Messages to Aliens

The Golden Record isnt the first message humans have sent into space . Pioneer 10 and 11 are the only other human-made objects currently headed out of the solar system . Each carries a metal plaque showing drawings of a man , a woman , and Earths position in the universe.

The Final Task

Now that the Voyagers have finished exploring planets , they have a new job : the Interstellar Mission . They are the first probes to explore space beyond our solar system . In August 2012 , Voyager 1 left our solar system and began this new journey.

黄金唱片

收集信息只是旅行者任务的一部分。他们还在太阳系外进行编队飞行，这是向非地球生命形式或外星人发出的信息。这一信息在每艘航天器侧面的一张12英寸的“金色唱片”上。唱片包括来自世界各地的音乐、艺术和口头问候。它还包括来自大自然的声音。唱片的外部有一张地图，显示了地球在宇宙中的位置。外星人可以用它来寻找地球，但这可能不会很快发生。旅行者1号至少在四万年内不会接近另一颗恒星。这两个航天器在数百万年内都不会靠近另一颗行星。

给外星人的第一条信息

黄金唱片并不是人类向太空发出的第一条信息。先锋10号和11号是目前唯一离开太阳系的其他人造物体。每一个都有一块金属牌匾，上面画着一个男人、一个女人和地球在宇宙中的位置。

最后的任务

现在，旅行者号已经完成了对行星的探索，他们有了一项新的工作：星际任务。它们是第一批探索太阳系以外太空的探测器。2012年8月，旅行者1号离开了我们的太阳系，开始了这段新的旅程。

Time Line : Important Dates for the Voyager Missions

1977 Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 launch 16 days apart

1979 Jupiter flybys , with discovery of volcanoes and ice on Jupiters moons

1980 Saturn flybys , with discovery of atmosphere on Titan Voyager 1 begins trip out of solar system

1986 Voyager 2 reaches Uranus

1989 Voyager 2 reaches Neptune and begins trip out of solar system

1990 Voyager Interstellar Mission begins

1998 Voyager 1 passes Pioneer 10 , becoming the most distant human-made object in space

2012 Voyager 1 enters interstellar space 

Conclusion

"The Voyager mission has opened up our solar system in a way not possible before the Space Age" , says Voyager project scientist Dr. Edward Stone . The two spacecraft ended up exploring all of the solar systems giant outer planets and forty-eight of their moons.Now the Voyagers are giving us a glimpse of interstellar space . Like two small bottles in the universes immense ocean , they carry a message from Earth to whatever lies beyond.

时间线：旅行者任务的重要日期

1977年“旅行者1号”和“旅行者2号”相隔16天发射

1979年木星飞越，在木星的卫星上发现了火山和冰

1980年土星飞越，在泰坦旅行者1号上发现大气层，开始脱离太阳系

1986年旅行者2号抵达天王星

1989年，旅行者2号抵达海王星，开始脱离太阳系

1990年旅行者星际飞行任务开始

1998年，旅行者1号通过先锋10号，成为太空中距离最远的人造物体

2012年旅行者1号进入星际空间

结论

旅行者号项目科学家爱德华·斯通博士说：“旅行者号任务以太空时代之前不可能的方式打开了我们的太阳系。”。这两艘宇宙飞船最终探索了太阳系所有的巨型外行星及其四十八颗卫星。现在，旅行者号让我们得以一窥星际空间。就像宇宙浩瀚海洋中的两个小瓶一样，它们将信息从地球传递到更远的地方。

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