An update to my Voyager 1 comms-glitch post. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, Voyager 1 will be one light-day from Earth, more than 16 billion miles out. I mentioned that milestone when it came back online. NASA now has public events around it.
What’s new
- On Tuesday, Nov. 17, NASA is asking people to join “Shine Bright for Voyager’s Light-Day” after sunset, a symbolic wave of golden light, with a site that can flash “VGR” in Morse code on a phone or tablet.
- On Thursday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. Chicago time (12 p.m. Eastern), JPL will host a discussion with mission leaders, including project manager Suzanne Dodd and mission manager Kareem Badaruddin, plus a Q&A and a preview of a NASA+ Voyager documentary planned for the 50th anniversary in 2027.
The probe launched in 1977 and is still the most distant human-made object. A command now takes a full day to get there, and the reply takes another day to come home.
My take
Almost 50 years on, and we still get to cheer it from the backyard. I’ll be watching the JPL talk.
God Bless, and Use the Source!
