Exploring God's Wonder and Mystery

God, grant as we discover the fascinating wonders and mysteries of the universe, we may come to know you more truly! Amen. 

Voyager's Neptune
Composite Image Credit & Copyright: Assembly/Processing - Rolf Olsen,
Data - Voyager 2, NASA Planetary Data System

Exploring God's Wonder and Mystery

God, grant as we discover the fascinating wonders and mysteries of the universe, we may come to know you more truly! Amen. 

Jupiter's Great Red Spot from Voyager 1
Image Credit: NASA, JPL; Digital processing: Björn Jónsson (IAAA)

Stalking Voyager - Has Voyager Left the Solar System Yet?

Are we there yet?

That, my friend, is a marvelous question, but it would seem that we are not yet there.

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/

WHEN will we be there? When will Voyager have escaped our solar system? What are they waiting on? Isn't it far enough away from our sun to qualify as "out"?

Indeed, a few of the criteria have been met already. See my previous Voyager blog post for some background info and read on for more info.

Heliosphere - our solar "bubble", the region of space our sun influences

Termination shock - the point in the heliosphere where the solar winds slow to the speed of sound because of interactions with the local interstellar medium causing compression, heat, and This is "shocking" because of the differences in speeds between slowing solar wind particles and other solar particles being regularly emitted.

Heliopause - the boundary where our sun's solar wind particles / energy ends and the interstellar medium increases. So far, I think this is a theoretical boundary, not yet witnessed, but assumed to be there. I wonder how it looks now that we know our solar system has a tail...

I'm not ashamed to admit I have been stalking Voyager data lately.

You can too! Below, there are exciting article links with recent info and links to new data being downloaded daily from Voyager.  I check the second data link (the one with charts!) almost every day. Why? Well, this is my FAVORITE SPACECRAFT and  IT'S GETTING VERY CLOSE to being declared interstellar and I believe that IT'S IMPORTANT FOR HUMANITY that we be keenly and proactively interested in interstellar exploration / travel / research. It could be ANY DAY NOW that the official declaration occurs and I for on plan on celebrating!

CRITERIA FOR BEING DECLARED INTERSTELLAR

1. A steady drop in collisions with low-energy particles from our sun. CHECK
2. A steady rise in collisions with high-energy particles from beyond our system. CHECK
3. Change in magnetic field direction from our sun to interstellar field beyond. NOT YET

So there you have it.
We are all waiting on a magnetic field direction change. This is where the magnetic highway comes into play. It is like a path along which particles are socializing and walking in and out. In other words: it's a GREY AREA and not a brick wall type of boundary that makes up our "edge".

Where to look for new data?

1. http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/Voyager_Science_Data.html Has several different types of data and link to each scientific organization and monitoring system

2. Here are the six-hour charts I love: http://voyager.gsfc.nasa.gov/heliopause/data.html
" The Cosmic Ray Subsystem team has made available 6-hour, 24-hour and 26-day data listings and yearly plots for 14 Hydrogen and Helium intensities and two counting rates. The following links will take you to interfaces which will allow you to select the data of choice. The entire Voyager data base consisting of approximately 165 rates and intensities is also available from our ARCHIVE."

No one knows exactly what our solar bubble / membrane looks like, but now we know that it is surrounded by an area with magnetic bubble pockets, an area now known as the magnetic highway and that our solar system actually has a "tail".

Here are links to recent interesting articles:

Our Solar System's Edge is "less edgy" - http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jul/09/nasa-voyager-solar-system-edge

Solar System's Edge - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23075332

Magnetic bubbles - http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jun/HQ_11-174_Voyager_Update.html

Magnetic highway - http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/multimedia/pia16486.html

Solar System Tail - http://www.universetoday.com/103412/our-solar-system-has-a-tail-shaped-like-a-four-leaf-clover-new-findings-from-ibex/

Solar System Has a Tail - http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/351477/description/News_in_Brief_The_solar_system_has_a_tail

HAPPY DATA STALKING! ;-)

Voyager 1 in Interstellar Space? Has Elvis Left the Solar System?

Has Elvis left the Solar System?

Voyager 1 and 2, both launched 35 years ago in 1977, have been making big news lately and it is very possible that NASA might be making an official declaration soon about the probe....
Voyager 1 is about to make history for humanity as it has most likely left our solar system and is now in interstellar space. This isn't just exciting, it's TREMENDOUSLY EXCITING and HISTORIC for the human race! I myself am an incurable fan of both Voyagers and this post is to share some very recent info about them and also to review the basics for those who may not be familiar with the mission. Below (public domain image), is the Voyager 1 spacecraft.

Here's is a link to some of the latest info as of Oct 4th, 2012:
Houston Chronicle Post: http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2012/10/more-evidence-that-voyager-has-exited-the-solar-system/ by Eric Berger.

To me, the most exciting portion of Mr. Berger's post is the second chart (posted below) which shows a massive drop and continuous lowered amount of ionized particles from our Sun. The actual boundary crossing could have happened as evidenced by that and the raised level of highly energetic galactic cosmic rays the prob is reading. Those have been on the rise for a while. Another aspect to consider is the flux of the magnetic field. All these are elements have effectively been observed during the past few months.

Here is the link to several charts and VOYAGER RECENT 6-hour HISTORY - http://voyager.gsfc.nasa.gov/heliopause/recenthist.html

Where do we draw the line?

No one knows the exact boundary of our solar system........yet! Isn't that amazing?! What does our membrane look like? How permeable is it? Is it degrading? How much does the boundary shift and does it shift with our sun's wobble or with our system's wobble in and out of the arm? I'm looking forward to hearing some of those answers one day and hope that it will be in my lifetime. I personally imagine the boundary to be rather vague in spots and constantly shifting in minute details. An interesting thing to remember is that Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are at different places so while similar shifts are expected, we might have something striking from one that the other doesn't find. In Berger's article, you'll see more charts and criteria for Voyager to be considered "out" of our solar system.

They include the following, (from Berger's article:)

http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2012/10/more-evidence-that-voyager-has-exited-the-solar-system/

Quote: "At last check, NASA scientists said they were not yet ready to officially declare that Voyager 1 had officially exited the solar system by crossing the heliopause.
To cross this boundary scientists say they would need to observe three things:
1. An increase in high-energy cosmic rays originating from outside our solar system
2. A drop in charged particles emanating from the sun.
3. A change in the direction of the magnetic field.
End Quote"

The Voyagers are going where no man.......
and no spacecraft have gone before!
There are a great many people who don't get how fantastic that is. They have been somewhat dulled to a host of real scientific discoveries due to their less "flashy" nature when put up against Star Trek, Star Wars, and recent decades of space and sci-fi special effects and computer-generated environments. Adventures of slow-spinning, silent, old technology spacecrafts often get a bit forgotten by those not actively looking right at the space community and those researchers.

Voyager 1, in continuing its trek toward the heliosphere, arrived last year and found a layer of magnetic bubbles made up of charged particles. Now, it is 11 billion miles away and suspected to have crossed the boundary of the heliosheath (the outer region of the heliosphere). Here are two articles about those cool magnetic bubbles:

"NASA Probes Suggest Magnetic Bubbles Reside at the Edge of the Solar System" http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jun/HQ_11-174_Voyager_Update.html

"A Big Surprise at the Edge of the Solar System - http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/09jun_bigsurprise/

Some Perspective...
With the completion of the original mission of exploring Jupiter and Saturn on planetary flybys, Voyager 2 was directed to check out Uranus and Neptune while Voyager 1 maintained a trajectory toward the edge of our "neighborhood" bubble. To give you some perspective, our solar system is located in the Orion-Cygnus arm of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Our bubble wobbles up and down in and out of our arm area, but is still very...VERY far away from our galactic center. Just think: it took 35 years to exit our solar system. Even if we use the very latest technologies and don't stop for any sight-seeing, it is unlikely that any of us will be around to see any craft approach our galactic center. Check out this link to see the real time position of both Voyagers: http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/index.html (Is that not THE COOLEST!?)
If it isn't, then this may be - check out the scale of the Universe to give you even more perspective: http://scaleofuniverse.com/

Above: We are the YELLOW DOT - image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way
Below: image from this website: http://www.outerspaceuniverse.org/our-solar-system-boring-part-milky-way-galaxy.html

How long will the Voyagers last? How far can they go?

Physically, they should last millions of years, but communications will probably only last until about 2025. The Voyagers are powered by large radioscopic thermoelectric generators containing plutonium. Operations will cease one at a time, barring any unknown circumstances. Here is the master plan of the ending of the mission and the scheduled operations:

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/thirty.html From the timeline, it looks as if Voyager 1 is expected to live slightly longer than its sister Voyager 2.

Having followed the Voyager probe missions since I was a child and being inspired by watching Carl Sagan in Cosmos: A Personal Voyage on TV in the 80's, I have always been fascinated with space and any aspect of the night sky. Humanity has always looked up and in spite of the terribly too-bright skies over New Orleans, I am always looking up. One day, hopefully sooner rather than later, I hope to purchase a telescope.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of all time:The Pale Blue Dot references a picture taken of Earth from Voyager 1 in 1990 from 6 billion km away. It shows how small we are and lends perspective on our place in the local cosmos. It transfixes me. Every time I hear Sagan's voice reading the famous passage from his Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, my eyes fill with tears and I am overcome with emotions and inspiration.

If you look closely, you can see Earth in the brown band on the right, about halfway up. That is our planet. Stunning isn't it! Check out the Pale Blue Dot link above for a look at the wide angle shot which includes our sun.


Listen to Carl Sagan reading the famous passage from his book and see what you think:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PN5JJDh78I&feature=fvwrel

Being  musician, I am also thrilled about the Golden Record being aboard Voyager 1 and 2. It was intended to represent our world and its civilizations. Can you imagine that if something happened to Earth and the planets on and around which we have robotic spacecraft, this would be THE ONLY EVIDENCE of our existence! I do actually ponder that from time to time.The Golden Record contains scenes, greetings, music, and sounds from Earth. What would your selections be? Here is a link to all of the information on the records. If you ever get the chance to check out Murmurs of Earth by Carl Sagan, take advantage of it.

The Golden Record http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html

Even MORE Excitement!
I have the great fortune to be attending a NASA Social event next weekend at the Goldstone Deep Space Network near Fort Irwin, CA in the Mojave Desert. I cannot believe the timing - so close to Voyager I being declared officially "out" of the Solar System. The DSN monitors 24 spacecraft, including the Voyagers so I am hoping to learn a great deal and to talk space with fellow #SpaceTweeps :-) Expect pictures and a lot of "woohoo" comments ; )

You can read my previous blog post on the DSN and our adventure here:
http://carsonia.blogspot.com/2012/09/nasa-goldstone-adventure.html



You can also follow both of the Voyagers on Twitter at:

@NASAVoyager

@NASAVoyager2 (This account tweets for both craft and gives distances from Earth)

NASA Goldstone Adventure!

If you read earlier posts, you may realize that I am a bit of a space freak and also a #spacetweep :-) Yes indeed! I am even applying for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Solar System Ambassador program. I am enthusiastic about space-related projects and news about NASA's missions and I truly believe that we all have something to gain from exploring our cosmic neighborhood and beyond! I'm one of those people who would choose to go to another planet if it meant humanity would gain from the experience.

In early September 2012, the week that Hurricane Isaac blew through Louisiana, I applied for another NASA Social event. The last ones I applied for were the MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) Curiosity landing events. I did not get selected for any of those, but I was encouraged to see more NASA Socials! The one in October includes a visit, tour, and presentations at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Network Communications Complex in the Mojave desert. A week and a half after applying, I received an email saying I was not selected for the event, but I was selected for the wait list. THEN, a week later, I got an email saying I was OFF the wait list and IN for the event!

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! :-)

What exactly is the Deep Space Network? WELL........ There are three on our planet: one at Goldstone which is located in Fort Irwin, California, one in Madrid, Spain, and one in Canberra, Australia. There are three Deep Space networks so that communications with the crafts in the far reaches of our solar system will be constant as the Earth rotates. These centers monitor Earth-orbiting craft, perform radio and radar astronomy, and communicate with space craft that are out around remote planets in our solar system. Each complex is located exactly at 120 degrees apart around the Earth, about 1/3 of the way around so the fields of view overlap. Each place is bowl-shaped and semi-mountainous to prevent interference from other signals.

[This image is in the Public Domain]

The DSNs track unmanned craft, but can be called upon in emergencies or when the "communication pipeline" needs more resources.

Here are some helpful links to read more about what a DSN does and how they work:

Deep Space Networks - wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Space_Network

Goldstone - http://www.gdscc.nasa.gov/

Madrid - http://english.insa.es/view/page/madrid-deep-space-communications-complex/

Canberra - http://www.csiro.au/Organisation-Structure/National-Facilities/CDSCC-facility.aspx

I believe the total number of craft monitored by the DSNs is 35. Impressive!

Here is a screenshot of the Goldstone's page listing 24 of the 35...

So..............why am I interested in this?
Well, I have always been interested in radtio and television communications over long distances. As a child, I would scan stations on my shortwave radio and listen to programs from foreign countries. I would also secretly stay up in the night and use the VHF tuner on my little black & white Zenith TV to see if I could get any faraway channels from Charleston, SC. I used to keep a list of them. Some of the furthest stations away were Charlotte, NC, Savannah, GA, and on several clear nights I was able to actually get channel 44 in Tampa, Fla. Not bad! I used to run the SETI @ Home on my desktops computer and Contact is one of my all time favorite movies. Now, I DO know that Contact features the VLA (Very Large Array) and is not about monitoring unmanned craft. Still, radio astronomy and communication is fascinating to me, regardless of how little I know about it! :-) I hope to learn more at Goldstone! Being in a NASA Social is
A W E S O M E
and you learn so much, meet A M A Z I N G people who are curious about the same things, have an adventure, and get treated superbly by NASA and their guests.
What's not to love?!

Here is what I will get to do:

"Tour the Goldstone complex, travel to Apollo Valley to see the historic Apollo antenna and the 34 meter Beam Waveguide Cluster antennas, take a trip to Mars Valley, home of the large 70 meter Mars antenna (230-ft dish), the 34 meter Uranus antenna and Signal Processing Center 10, the Spacecraft Operations Control Center, meet and interact with scientists, engineers, and other team members from NASA and Goldstone, about the historical significance of Goldstone and its part of the Deep Space Network (DSN), the missions supported and what makes Goldstone unique within the DSN, view and take photographs of the complex, meet  fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media, and meet members of NASA's social media teams."

Here is the official NASA list of participants for Goldstone. 65 people were selected.
https://twitter.com/NASASocial/goldstone-nasa-social/

From NASA Social Media:

“From the first planetary encounters, the first human landing on the moon, to missions that reach the farthest points in our solar system, Goldstone has been there to bring home the critical data, images, and science. The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex is one of three Deep Space Network (DSN) complexes around the world. (The other two are located in Canberra, Australia and Madrid, Spain.) The complex was established to provide the ability to communicate with spacecraft, not only in orbit around the earth, but also in the farther reaches of our solar system. The Deep Space Network complexes provide constant communication with spacecraft as the Earth rotates.

For more information on NASA and its Social Media programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/index.html

For more information on the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, visit: http://www.gdscc.nasa.gov/