Vger (Any Star Trek Fans Out There?)

In the movie Star Trek The Motion Picture, one of Earth's probes returns home. In its time away from Earth the Voyager 6 craft had become much more than what it was when it left our solar system. An interesting concept to say the least.

What go me thinking about Voyager, was an app for the iPhone that my good friend Blaine showed me this weekend. It was a NASA app that gave you all kinds of information on current and older programs. While browsing the various items the app had to offer, I came across the Voyager 1 & 2 status. To my surprise both craft are still providing information to NASA scientist.

Both craft were launched in 1977 and visited Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 continued on to visit Uranus and Neptune. Here are some of the images that these spunky little craft sent back to Earth.

As of March 2012 - Here is the status of both Voyager craft:

Voyager 1 was at a distance of 17.9 billion kilometers (119.9 AU) from the Sun.

Voyager 2 was at a distance of 14.7 billion kilometers (98.3 AU).

Voyager 1 is escaping the solar system at a speed of about 3.6 AU per year.
Voyager 2 is escaping the solar system at a speed of about 3.3 AU per year.

There are currently five science investigation teams participating in the Interstellar Mission. They are:

1. Magnetic field investigation
2. Low energy charged particle investigation
3. Cosmic ray investigation
4. Plasma Investigation (Voyager 2 only)
5. Plasma wave investigation

Five instruments onboard the Voyagers directly support the five science investigations. The five instruments are:

1. Magnetic field instrument (MAG)
2. Low energy charged particle instrument (LECP)
3. Cosmic ray instrument (CRS)
4. Plasma instrument (PLS)
5. Plasma wave instrument (PWS)

One other instrument is collecting data but does not have official science investigation associated with it:

6. Ultraviolet spectrometer subsystem (UVS), Voyager 1 only

Makes you wonder if Start Trek The Motion Picture could actually happen... Pffft... Whatever.


-Red
www.jeffjake.com
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Contact Jeff by email at author@jeffjake.com

How the Ancient Roman's Built a Space Shuttle Booster

First let me say that I got this topic from a good friend of mine. I'm not sure why I haven't shared it with you yet... but here it is. As those of you who are regular to Ramblings know, I'm a bit of a sucker for history. So this was right up my alley.

In a discussion, my friend made the comment that the Roman's had an impact on our space program. Of course I was like... "Say what?" Come to find out, it's true. You see, in ancient Rome, the powers that be came together to agree on a standard width of a chariot's wheel base. Okay you say... what does that have to do with our space shuttle? I'm getting there... hang on. So, with a standard width set, the Roman roads were built with that measurement in mind. As the years past and other people started using wagons and carts, it was easier to just use that same standard width so that the wheels would ride in the groves worn into the road from the chariot's. (Some of these roads still exist today.)

So when the peoples of Europe came to the new world, they brought their tools and standards with them... and so, our first roads also were based on the chariot's wheel base. Now here is the cool part. When the railroads came into existence, guess what.... Yep, they used the same measurement. So our train tracks are based on the wheel base of a Roman chariot.

Now here is where it gets to the bread and butter. The tunnels the train track go through are based on those dimensions. The rocket boosters for the shuttle had to be taken by train through those tunnels. Viola, the Romans decisions almost two thousand years ago, affected our space program.

You can go here to read the article that I found.

-Red
www.jeffjake.com
www.facebook.com/jeffreyrjake
Twitter @MortisG187

Email Jeff at:  author@jeffjake.com