Only 49 years!
Enshitification.
this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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Why can't we be as forward thinking as the people who created the voyager probes?
Jesus that is a sobering figure I did not need to see today.
And it’s quite outdated, I think from 2022. It has become much worse since
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Now please show an inflation adjusted graph or better one that shows in percentage how much each fraction owns of the wealth pie.
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Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 - just before the Reagan era. Coincidence?
Also, and I'm still just guessing here, it's probably the culmination of the space race to the moon minus the pressure to be there before the Russians.
In other words, NASA's Golden Age.
Also, the tech was "just right" then. Small and frugal enough to fit on a probe but still robust enough to survive more than a few years in space.
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not enough engineers use LSD anymore because they'll lose their entire career over it and be blacklisted from government contracts forever.
the McCarthys won.
It's not profitable
What a badass little craft to have kept operating for so long. 🫡
Check out AMSAT-OSCAR 7 -- Closer to home, but launched in 1974, and still waking up when there's sun to operate. It's the oldest "operational" satellite still up there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMSAT-OSCAR_7
Fucking A good on ya for the heads up. I somehow haven't heard of this one.
AMSAT = Amateur Satellite! Holy shit. Amateur, my ass.
It’s a satellite for amateur radio, it’s not implying it’s an amateur satellite.
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A truly beautiful piece of engineering
It's quite a feat of engineering to have something run this long - and without having physical access to it.
RTGs are subject to the issue of half-life - this is a consequence of that type of power source. Though, let’s be honest: we do not have any other sort of power generation technology that would be viable for literal decades on an interstellar space probe. And we definitely didn’t have a better alternative when they were launched.
For roughly three milliseconds I thought to myself they shoulda used solar panels instead.
"Oh, wait...."
Well they could power a lamp that shines on the solar panels.
This photo was taken after Voyager was launched, NASA didn’t have the technology yet
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NASA's Voyager engineers are like the final evolution of your uncle that keeps his 1974 Chevy C/K running at 400,000 miles. It's the same autism across an ocean of resources.
Actually basically yes. NASA has had decades of practice at minimum viable operation capability, making their spacecraft and rovers all but drag themselves along even when anything else would stop working.
It is amazing they can detect and communicate to something with such a weak signal so far away.
So far away that it takes an entire day to get the signal to it. The earth to the sun is 8 minutes.
And somehow we can still talk to it. It's amazing.
About 1/3 of a % of a lightyear that's hardcore that we've gotten something out that far.
It also gives you an idea of how big space is. Lots and lots of nothing.
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This is so fuking cool
I am filled with pride that we collectively made something that will likely out live our sun, and we continue to find ingenious ways to keep it going and going
What a cool time to be alive
I remember when both Voyagers were making their fly bys. We'd get a bunch of images in magazines and stuff, and then wait several more years for the next planet. Between that and the Space Shuttle flights it was awesome.
I wasn't around for the moon landings so Skylab and Voyager were the highlights of my days.
Here are Images Voyager Took.
I have no idea how to sort them by recency; I'm guessing it's not sending such expensive data anymore, but what are the most recent (and furthest) images?
which would shut down components on its own to safeguard the probe, requiring recovery by the flight team — a lengthy process that carries its own risks.
Uhhh... how the fuck are you planning on recovering it?
I think what they mean is that if the thing starts shutting stuff down on its own, the process to get those things started again is tedious. While if the humans tell it to shut things down, it is all more orderly.
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When is the next conjunction of planets that enabled the Voyager missions happening and are we preparing for it?
The Voyager mission launched in 1977. If I recall correctly, it takes roughly 80 years for the planets to realign for that purpose. If I didn't misremember, we're about halfway through waiting.
1977....
Roughly 80 years
If I didn't misremember, we're about halfway through waiting.
A bit more than halfway, although sometimes I am shocked by how long ago 1977 was. Wasn't it just, like, 30 years ago or so?
It can't possibly be 49 years ago, can it?
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