I have no compunction whatsoever in giving this amazing documentary a 10 star rating and anyone interested in space and space travel is urged to watch this heart stopping and magical movie.
SPOILER BEGINS
This is the story of the Voyager 1 & 2 missions from their inception to the present day.
In the 1970s it was suggested that we build a spacecraft capable of traversing our Solar System to discover more information about our neighbours Jupiter and Saturn because in the 70s very little was known about these two distant planets.
When the idea was put before the President, Jimmy Carter, he was informed that the cost would be about one billion dollars so he said "Build two".
The scientists and engineers set to work and on 21 August 1977 Voyager 2 was launched followed by Voyager 1 on September 5th 1977.
This documentary follows the many successes and pitfalls of the hazardous missions of these two craft and it is riveting viewing.
Not only did these two craft visit Jupiter and Saturn but went on to provide incredible information on their moons and not being satisfied with that Voyager 1 went on to both Uranus and Neptune supplying phenomenal and highly surprising data on these two planets and their moons.
Their missions a total success Voyager 1 set its path for the end of the Solar System, reached and passed through 'The Bubble' on or about 25 August 2012. The human race can now proudly say that they are Interstellar Travellers.
Voyager 1 has the ability to continue on its mission of sending back data for about another decade but when its plutonium is at last depleted it will traverse the Universe into infinity and will still be travelling when our Sun has given up the ghost and become a Red Dwarf swallowing up most of its planets in the process.
It has already travelled billions of miles at a speed of approximately 44.000 miles per hour.
The only true thing of interest when it has run out of the ability to send back information is the Gold Disc which carries many snippets of information pertaining to human life and its various cultures, music and photos of ourselves and other animals and man made creations.
There is no reason to suppose that this disc will degrade and become unplayable for possibly billions of years so if/when an alien civilisation discovers Voyager 1 we very possibly will no longer be in existence.
SPOILER ENDS
I must say that this is one of the best and most insightful documentaries I have ever seen.
SPOILER BEGINS
This is the story of the Voyager 1 & 2 missions from their inception to the present day.
In the 1970s it was suggested that we build a spacecraft capable of traversing our Solar System to discover more information about our neighbours Jupiter and Saturn because in the 70s very little was known about these two distant planets.
When the idea was put before the President, Jimmy Carter, he was informed that the cost would be about one billion dollars so he said "Build two".
The scientists and engineers set to work and on 21 August 1977 Voyager 2 was launched followed by Voyager 1 on September 5th 1977.
This documentary follows the many successes and pitfalls of the hazardous missions of these two craft and it is riveting viewing.
Not only did these two craft visit Jupiter and Saturn but went on to provide incredible information on their moons and not being satisfied with that Voyager 1 went on to both Uranus and Neptune supplying phenomenal and highly surprising data on these two planets and their moons.
Their missions a total success Voyager 1 set its path for the end of the Solar System, reached and passed through 'The Bubble' on or about 25 August 2012. The human race can now proudly say that they are Interstellar Travellers.
Voyager 1 has the ability to continue on its mission of sending back data for about another decade but when its plutonium is at last depleted it will traverse the Universe into infinity and will still be travelling when our Sun has given up the ghost and become a Red Dwarf swallowing up most of its planets in the process.
It has already travelled billions of miles at a speed of approximately 44.000 miles per hour.
The only true thing of interest when it has run out of the ability to send back information is the Gold Disc which carries many snippets of information pertaining to human life and its various cultures, music and photos of ourselves and other animals and man made creations.
There is no reason to suppose that this disc will degrade and become unplayable for possibly billions of years so if/when an alien civilisation discovers Voyager 1 we very possibly will no longer be in existence.
SPOILER ENDS
I must say that this is one of the best and most insightful documentaries I have ever seen.