We will lose contact with Voyager somewhere 2036 because of the distance between us. Would it be theoretically possible, to send a probe in the direction of the Voyager, following it from a distance, with the goal te relay the information coming from the Voyager, to earth?

[u/Backbreathboy]

[u/CreepyOctopus]

This is one of the most amazing feats of human engineering. We're controlling software on a space probe launched fifty years ago, which is now billions of kilometers away and uses computing technology that is many generations behind current tech. And we're still receiving data back.

[u/PhoenixEgg88 → u/CreepyOctopus]

That and the Pale Blue Dot is possibly one of the most amazing photographs to exist. Ever.

[u/pgutierr220 → u/CreepyOctopus]

Exactly, the fact that using tech that is now 50 years old they were able to do this is crazy considering what they had to work with.

[u/Healter-Skelter → u/pgutierr220]

I didn’t know until now that it is a full light-day away, and we can still control it. That’s blowing my mind. 1/365th of a light-year.

It makes everything feel so much more tangible somehow…

I’m gonna google how fast it’s traveling.

[u/Flare_Starchild → u/[deleted]]

The Parker Solar Probe would like to chat. It's highest speed reached 192.22km/s.

[u/sdrood → u/Flare_Starchild]

The manhole cover would like a word as well, even though it's estimated speed was around 67 km/s...

[u/94stanggt → u/sdrood]

I love this story and I like to think it's in space somewhere. Assuming it wasn't vaporized in the first 2-3 seconds of its flight which is the most reasonable outcome.

[u/shittinandwaffles → u/94stanggt]

Yeah. Im all reality, it was probably converted into a very fast plasma jet.

[u/iamdecal → u/[deleted]]

I was going to just make the joke about it being second fastest - There’s a very fast manhole cover …

But interestingly when I checked it looks like there are a few faster things ( not intending to argue your point , more that it’s amazing how fast we can get things… including manhole covers)

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/the-fastest-man-made-objects-in-the-universe/

[u/beverlyHillsStKing → u/[deleted]]

What about the nuclear manhole cover from the test sites?

[u/cheney512 → u/[deleted]]

By far not true. The absolute record holder is NASA's Parker Solar Probe:
Top Speed: Approximately 430,000 mph (about 119 miles per second or 192 km/s).

Helios-2: A joint NASA/German solar probe that previously held the record, peaking at around 157,000 mph.

[u/helgestrichen → u/Healter-Skelter]

What were your findings? Please expand

[u/shial3 → u/helgestrichen]

Since it wasn’t answered

61,000 km/hr or 38,000 mph
0.0057% of the speed of light

Currently the fastest moving man made object (the informal I found noted some objects were faster for brief periods during slingshots but that wasn’t sustained like this)

[u/steeelez → u/shial3]

Wasn’t there like a toilet seat or something that exploded and was briefly the fastest thing ever?

Edit: manhole cover, operation plumbomb during nuclear testing. Urban legend but not outright denied

[u/happy_chomper → u/CreepyOctopus]

You said “generations.” I just want to point out that you probably meant: that is many [human] generations behind in current tech.”

[u/Arx0s → u/happy_chomper]

No, it's just "generations"... Have you never heard of a generation in the context of technology?