Knowra Voyager 2 Voyager 2 Voyager 2 is a NASA space probe launched in 1977 that flew past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It continues beyond the heliosphere while transmitting scientific data to Earth.
Jupiter : Jupiter is the Solar System’s largest planet, a gas giant with a system of rings and many moons. Voyager 2’s 1979 flyby revealed details of Jupiter’s atmosphere, rings, and moons.
Gravity assist : A gravity assist changes a spacecraft’s speed and direction by passing near a moving planetary body. Voyager 2 used planetary flybys to gain energy and reach successive outer planets.
Grand Tour program : The Grand Tour program was a proposed NASA mission to explore the outer planets using a favorable planetary alignment. Its ambitious multi-planet concept shaped the mission architecture that became Voyager.
Voyager Golden Record : The Voyager Golden Record is a phonograph record carrying sounds and images from Earth aboard both Voyager spacecraft. Voyager 2 carries this artifact as a cultural message alongside its scientific instruments.
Saturn : Saturn is a gas giant distinguished by its extensive ring system and large family of moons. Voyager 2’s 1981 encounter studied Saturn’s rings, atmosphere, and moons before the probe continued outward.
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator : A radioisotope thermoelectric generator converts heat from radioactive decay into electrical power. Its plutonium-powered generators supply Voyager 2 as sunlight grows too weak for solar panels.
Voyager program : The Voyager program is NASA’s pair of robotic missions to the outer planets and the space beyond the heliosphere. Voyager 2 is one of the program’s two spacecraft, alongside Voyager 1.
Planetary science : Planetary science studies planets, moons, and other bodies, including their formation, composition, and evolution. Voyager 2’s flybys transformed comparative study of the giant planets and their moons.
Uranus : Uranus is an ice giant with an extreme axial tilt, a faint ring system, and numerous moons. Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus, flying past it in 1986.
Deep Space Network : NASA’s Deep Space Network is a system of large antennas that communicates with spacecraft beyond Earth orbit. Its antennas receive Voyager 2’s faint signals across billions of kilometers.
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