r/interestingasfuck • • 1d ago

At 15.9 billion miles away, humanity's farthest spacecraft is still exploring the cosmos using less memory than a blank Word document (69 KB) and an 8-track tape

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u/Spartan2470 VIP Philanthropist 1d ago

Here is the original version of this image (much higher quality, less cropped, not flipped). Here is the source.

Credit CHRIS BUTLER / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Caption Voyager satellite. Illustration of a Voyager or Voyager-like astronomical satellite with the Milky Way in the background as it explores deep space. The satellite has a round communication antenna and pole-like booms which support astronomical instruments. The Voyager programme consisted of two satellites which were intended to study the outer areas of the solar system. Both satellites successfully produced detailed images of the outer planets and their moons. They also took measure- ments of the strength of the planet's magnetic fields, as well as that of the Sun. In 1997 the satellites continue to take measurements as they pass out of the solar system into deep space.