Home » Technology » The science fiction “Three-Body Problem” sparked the cosmic craze. How are the five deep-space probes of human beings doing? | Big vision
The science fiction “Three-Body Problem” sparked the cosmic craze. How are the five deep-space probes of human beings doing? | Big vision
Recently, cartoons and TV series adapted from the famous science fiction novel “Three-Body Problem” have been released one after another, and “The Wandering Earth 2” has also been released, which has aroused people’s great interest in the relationship between the earth and the universe, especially the detection of deep space by artificial probes.
The popularity of science fiction film and television reappears in the mainland.
Since the launch of the Pioneer 10 probe in 1972, there have been five spacecraft heading out of the solar system. They are Pioneer 10, 11, Voyager 1, 2 and New Horizons. These detectors have all completed their original missions, but some of them are still “working overtime” to detect more secrets of the universe for human beings; some have lost contact with the earth, and are alone towards their established goals Forward. China’s “Science and Technology Daily” recently quoted a report from the US space network to sort out the current status of these detectors.
In 1977, the Voyager 1 and 2 probes with different missions set sail successively and started their respective adventures. In 2022, the Voyager mission will mark its 45th anniversary. From flybys of multiple planets at close range to exploring the furthest humans have traveled in space, the twins have made enormous contributions to enhancing our understanding of the solar system.
Voyager 1 as described by the artist.
In 1990, after the successful completion of the Voyager 1 mission, in order to save energy, scientists let it look back at the earth for the last time before rushing into the distance. After taking the famous “dark little blue dot” photo 6 billion kilometers away from the earth Its cameras were turned off, but other instruments on the spacecraft were still collecting data from the sun’s plasma and magnetic field.
In 2012, Voyager 1 flew out of the heliopause (in astronomy, the boundary where the solar wind from the sun encounters the interstellar medium and stagnates), broke away from the influence of the solar wind, and flew out of the solar system. It became the farthest flying man-made The probe has reached a position 23 billion kilometers away from the earth, and is currently carrying human information to the further depths of the universe. In 1986, Voyager 2 arrived at Uranus, becoming the first probe to visit Uranus. In 2018, Voyager 2 also flew out of the heliopause and flew towards the farther edge of the solar system.
Voyager 1 looked at the Earth 6 billion kilometers away, and took a photo of the “Dark Little Blue Dot”.
However, this pair of “sister flowers” only left the heliosphere, and it would take at least tens of thousands of years to fly out of the solar system. Their main mission now is to explore where the influence of the sun ends and the influence of other stars begins.
Pioneer has lost contact
The Pioneer 10 probe launched in 1972 and the Pioneer 11 probe launched in 1973 are of pioneering significance in the history of space exploration.
Pioneer No. 10 by the artist.
Pioneer 10 was the first probe to successfully traverse the asteroid belt and the first to observe Jupiter at close range, and it later flew by Saturn. Since Pioneer 10 was launched a little earlier, it used to be the farthest probe from the earth. Before it completely lost contact with the earth in 2003, it was about 12.23 billion kilometers away from the earth. This distance was later replaced by Voyager 1. beyond.
The fuel carried by Pioneer 10 has long been exhausted, and it is currently flying towards the outer solar system by inertia. If there is no accident, it is expected to reach Aldebaran, which is about 68 light-years away from the earth, in about 2 million years.
Pioneer 10 under construction.
On April 6, 1973, Pioneer 11 was launched into space and reached the orbit of Saturn after 6 years of flight, becoming the first human probe to study Saturn and its rings. In September 1995, NASA terminated contact with Pioneer 11 in order to save the weakening power of Pioneer 11. Like Pioneer 10, it will move forward alone in the next long journey.
New Horizons is formidable
New Horizons is the youngest “brother” of missions to fly out of the solar system, launched in 2006 to explore Pluto and its moons. After flying past Pluto in 2015, New Horizons has been leaving the solar system at record speed and is expected to reach the heliopause around 2040.
New Horizons embarks on an expedition beyond the solar system.
One of New Horizons’ most significant discoveries was the confirmation of the existence of the Kuiper belt (the asteroid belt of frozen gas). In 2019, New Horizons successfully flew over the “sky”, the most distant celestial body known so far from the earth. It is about 6.4 billion kilometers away from the earth and belongs to the most primitive celestial body in the Kuiper belt. This is New Horizons’ first mission extension. The spacecraft is currently in hibernation mode and is expected to remain dormant until March 1, 2023. After that, the research team plans to launch New Horizons’ second Kuiper Belt Extension mission. Meanwhile, the mission team is making some exciting new observations as they prepare to use New Horizons as a powered observatory in the distant solar system, providing information not available on Earth.
A road map of the 5 most distant probes to fly out of the solar system.
