Spacecrafts exploring beyond solar system | Pioneer and Voyager programs explained in detail

Humans made many spacecrafts in space exploration, in which five of them gone beyond the solar system and exploring things in outer solar system. Those five spacecrafts are made and launched by NASA.

Let us discuss about those spacecrafts in detail.

Pioneer 10:

Pioneer 10 is the 1st spacecraft to go beyond solar system. From 1960, NASA is trying to send spacecrafts to other planets in our solar system to study them in detail. On 2nd March 1972, NASA launched Pioneer 10. It is mainly designed to study the Asteroid belt, Jupiter and some other celestial objects in our solar system and reach the deep space.

Pioneer_10-11_spacecraft
Image credit: Don Davis for NASA

Instruments mainly used in Pioneer 10,

• Plasma analysis
• Charged particle instrument
• Meteoroid detector
• Cameras to capture photos

And some other small instruments.

NASA had given enough escape velocity to Pioneer 10 to go beyond solar system and reach deep space. It reached moon in just 11 hours after launch time and became fastest travelling spacecraft in 1970's.

On July 1972, it reached Asteroid belt and in November 1973, it reached Jupiter and made a flyby at a distance of 1,32,000 kms. Pioneer 10 captured the images of Asteroid belt and Jupiter in detail and sent data to Earth. Pioneer 10 uses radio isotope and thermal electric generator simply called RTG, for generation of electricity in spacecraft. RTG helps to convert heat energy into the electrical energy.

But in 2003, NASA lost communications with Pioneer 10 due to the failure of RTG. When NASA lost communications with Pioneer 10, it is located at a distance of 80 astronomical units away from us. At present, it is travelling towards Aldebaran star in Taurus constellation at a speed of 12 kms/sec. After 0.2 million years, Pioneer 10 will reach the Aldebaran star. NASA placed a Pioneer plaque in Pioneer 10, which contains data of humans, Earth, solar system etc., so if any extra-terrestrial life caught Pioneer 10, they can know they are not only life in the universe.

Pioneer 11:

In Pioneer series, Pioneer 11 is the 2nd and last spacecraft. On 6 April 1973, Pioneer 11 was launched. Pioneer 10 and 11 consists of same instruments and designed for same purposes. But NASA changed the direction of Pioneer 11, so that it can also study the Saturn. In November 1974, Pioneer 11 nearly reached Jupiter and on 2nd December it made a flyby at a distance of 42,000 kms from Jupiter. It studied and captured images of Jupiter’s red spot, North & South poles and Calisto (Jupiter's moon) and sent data to Earth. On 1st September 1979, Pioneer 11 reached Saturn and made a flyby at a distance of 21,000 kms. It nearly gone for crashing in Saturn moons, but missed and made flyby's with Epimetheus and Janus (Saturn’s moons) at a distance of 4000 and 2500 kms.

Artist's_impression_of_the_encounter_between_Pioneer_11_and_Saturn
Image credit: NASA Ames

Pioneer 11 studied about the rings, magnetic field and moons of Saturn. In 1990, Pioneer 11 gone beyond orbits of all planets and became 4th spacecraft to do so.

Here you may get a doubt, "Pioneer 11 is the second launched spacecraft targeted to reach out of solar system, but how it became 4th to reach interstellar space?"

Because Voyager spacecrafts reached deep space faster than Pioneer 11.

On 9 September 1995, NASA lost communications with Pioneer 11. When it lost communications, it is at a distance of 101 astronomical units, travelling at a speed of 12 kms/sec towards Scutum constellation. After 9,28,000 years, it nearly reaches TYC 992-192-1 star. Pioneer 11 was travelling exact opposite to the Pioneer 10 and also consists of Pioneer plaque.

Voyager program:

In Voyager program, NASA launched two spacecrafts, designed to study the planets, solar system and outer solar system. For every 200+ years, planets after Jupiter make an alignment. From 1975, those planets are nearly making alignment, so NASA wanted to use this opportunity and designed Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.

Voyager 2:

Voyager_2_instruments
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Voyager 2 has launched before than Voyager 1. In 1977, Voyager 2 was launched, both voyager 1 and 2 has same instruments.

• Cameras to capture photos
• Infrared spectrometer to study the thermal properties of planets and moons along with rings of Saturn
• Cosmic ray system

And other small instruments.

On 9 July 1979, Voyager 2 reached Jupiter and made a flyby at a distance 5,70,000 kms. Voyager 2 studied the Jupiter's red spot and four moons of Jupiter (Amalthea, Calisto, Ganymede & Europa) in detail and sent reports to NASA. In 1981, Voyager 2 reached Saturn and studied the rings and temperature of Saturn. It also captured the images of Saturn and its moons. On 24 January 1986, Voyager 2 reached Uranus and made a flyby at a distance of 80,000 kms. Voyager 2 studied the temperature and magnetic field of Uranus. From Voyager 2 reports, NASA has found that the Uranus has mysterious magnetic field. It also captured the images of Uranus and its moons. On 25 August 1989, Voyager 2 has reached Neptune, it gave so much unknown data about Neptune. Voyager 2 also revealed that the Neptune also has small rings like Saturn. And before we thought, Neptune has 8 moons but Voyager 2 confirmed that Neptune actually has 14 moons. It also discovered the Dark spot on Neptune.

Voyager 2 is the 1st spacecraft to study Neptune in detail and after studying Neptune, Voyager 2 gone beyond Heliosphere. It also discovered some of the celestial objects in outer solar system and a dwarf planet called 90377 Sedna, which is orbiting the solar system at a distance of 80 astronomical units. Like Pioneer plaque, a golden record is placed in Voyager 2. The golden record consists of data about human life style, animals, Earth, images, sounds etc., along with 55 languages. At present Voyager 2 is travelling at a speed of 15 kms/sec. After 40,000 years, it will make a flyby with Ross 248 star at a distance of 1.7 light years and if any object doesn't disturb it, Voyager 2 will reach Sirius star after 2,96,000 years, which is 4.3 light years away. Voyager 2 also uses RTG to conduct electricity, and NASA estimated that it may lose communications in 2025.

Voyager 1:

Voyager_1
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

After 15 days from launch of Voyager 2, Voyager 1 is launched. On 5 September 1977, Voyager 1 was launched. Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 consists of same instruments. Voyager 2 studied all planets after Jupiter, so NASA changed the direction of Voyager 1 to study the Jupiter, Saturn and Titan (Saturn's moon). In between January & July 1979, Voyager 1 studied Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belt and moons. Voyager 1 also discovered active volcanos on Jupiter's moon Io, becoming the 1st volcano discovered other than Earth. In November 1980, Voyager 1 reached Saturn and studied Saturn's temperature and rings along with its moon Titan. The actual reason behind the study of Titan is, it has some atmosphere and may also supports life. Voyager 1 studied the Titan's atmosphere along with density & pressure in detail.

Later, it changed the direction and moved towards the outer solar system. In 1998, Voyager 1 started travelling faster than Pioneer 10, so it became the most distant travelled spacecraft. Voyager 1 is travelling at a speed of 17 kms/sec towards the Ophiuchus constellation. After 40,000 years, Voyager 1 will nearly reach Gliese 445 star and make a flyby at a distance of 1.7 light years. After 0.3 million years, Voyager 1 will reach near to the Gliese 581 star and make a flyby at a distance less than 1 light year. Voyager 1 also consists of golden record and is also in communication with NASA. It is estimated, Voyager 1 may lose communications in between 2025 to 2030.

New Horizons:

New_Horizons_Pluto_Flyby_Artist_Concept
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

New Horizons is launched on 19 January 2006. It is designed to study the Pluto and its moon Charon in detail. It has advanced instruments when compared to Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 2 and Voyager 1. On 28 February 2007, New Horizons made a flyby with Jupiter at a distance of 2.3 million kms and studied Jupiter clouds and moons. In 2008 and 2011, it made flyby's with Saturn and Uranus. In 2015, New Horizons reached Pluto, which is a dwarf planet. Before observations from New Horizons, we thought that Pluto has 3 moons, but it discovered another 2 moons. New Horizons studied Pluto and Charon in detail and captured images of them. From 2016, it also started studying the celestial objects in Kuiper belt. It is estimated, New Horizons may lose communications with NASA in 2040. It is travelling in the same path of Voyager 2 and at present, New Horizons is located in Kuiper belt, travelling at a speed of 14 kms/sec.

As of now,

Voyager 1 is nearly 150 astronomical units away from us,

Pioneer 10 is nearly 127 astronomical units away from us,

Voyager 2 is nearly 124 astronomical units away from us,

Pioneer 11 is nearly 103 astronomical units away from us and

finally, New Horizons is nearly 47 astronomical units away from us.

These are the five spacecrafts, exploring beyond the solar system.

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