Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 set out to explore the outer planets but its path and speed ultimately propelled it far beyond its initial mission, making it the most distant human-made object in space. More than forty years later, it continues to send valuable data, serving as humanity’s first direct contact with interstellar space. Although its hardware is aging and power supplies are limited, engineers maintain the spacecraft by carefully cycling its instruments on and off and have recently reactivated backup thrusters to keep it on course. Voyager 1’s data still yield surprises, including the discovery of a thin, highly energetic layer near the heliopause, often referred to as a ‘wall’ of superheated plasma with temperatures estimated between 30,000 and 50,000 K. Here’s a list of 8 most important discoveries made by Voyager 1:
7 most incredible discoveries of NASA’s Voyager-1 during its cosmic journey
