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Voyager 1
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

For nearly 50 years, NASA's Voyager 1 mission has competed for the title of deep space's little engine that could. Launched in 1977 along with its twin, Voyager 2, the spacecraft is now soaring more than 15 billion miles from Earth.

On their journeys through the , the Voyager spacecraft beamed startling images back to Earth—of Jupiter and Saturn, then Uranus and Neptune and their moons. Voyager 1's most famous shot may be what famed astronomer Carl Sagan called the "pale blue dot," a lonely image of Earth taken from 6 billion miles away in 1990.

But Voyager 1's trek could now be drawing to a close. Since December, the spacecraft--which weighs less than most cars--has been sending nonsensical messages back to Earth, and engineers are struggling to fix the problem. Voyager 2 remains operational.

Fran Bagenal is a planetary scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at CU Boulder. She started working on the Voyager mission during a summer student job in the late 1970s and has followed the two spacecraft closely since.

To celebrate Voyager 1, Bagenal reflects on the mission's legacy—and which planet she wants to visit again.

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Astronaut Thomas Stafford, commander of Apollo 10, has died at age 93
This Aug. 23, 1965 photo provided by NASA shows astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, near the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever in the Gulf of Mexico during training. Stafford, who commanded a dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon landing and the first U.S.-Soviet space linkup, died Monday, March 18, 2024. He was 93. Credit: NASA via AP

Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, who commanded a dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon landing and the first U.S.

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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 13, 2024
Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAIC) has secured a contract worth $444 million to assist in the Digital Transformation, Acquisition, Modernization, and Modification (DTAMM) for the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command and Space Launch Deltas (SLDs) 30 and 45. David Ray, Executive Vice President of the Space and Intelligence Business Group at SAIC, remarked on the signi
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 18, 2024
The U.S. Space Force, through its Small Launch and Targets Division located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has officially issued a call for additional service providers to join the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4. This move, spearheaded by the Space Systems Command's (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) initiative, aims to broaden the roster of launch providers eligible
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 14, 2024
In the quest for clearer astronomical images and superior optical performance, the key might just lie in achieving the deepest possible black. The pursuit of such a goal has led researchers to develop an innovative ultrablack coating, set to significantly improve next-generation telescopes and optical devices. This breakthrough, published in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A by AIP
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 14, 2024
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has been awarded a significant $24 million contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to enhance moving target engagement capabilities through development and demonstration. The contract showcases BlackSky's innovative approach to integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with satellite technology for improved detection, tracking, and identification
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 14, 2024
In an ambitious move marking a new chapter for Australia's space industry, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has joined forces with Space Machines Company (SMC), aiming to enhance space sustainability. This collaboration is set against the backdrop of Australia's goal to expand its space economy from AU$4 billion to AU$12 billion by 2030, alongside creating 20,000 jobs. During a st
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 14, 2024
In a significant boost to national security and space capabilities, Defense Unicorns, a pioneering open-source software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) provider, has secured a $15 million funding boost from the U.S. Space Force. This Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI), in collaboration with the Program Executive Office Assured Access to Space (AATS), aims to enhance and expand secure software
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 14, 2024
Yang Mengfei, a prominent spacecraft scientist and advisor, has urged for state backing in developing a satellite designed for solar observations from a unique solar polar orbit. This initiative aims to deepen our understanding of solar phenomena that significantly influence earthly technologies and natural occurrences. Yang, a senior researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology and
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Loa Alamos NM (SPX) Mar 14, 2024
The origin of heavy elements in our universe is theorized to be the result of neutron star collisions, which produce conditions hot and dense enough for free neutrons to merge with atomic nuclei and form new elements in a split-second window of time. Testing this theory and answering other astrophysical questions requires predictions for a vast range of masses of atomic nuclei. Los Alamos Nation
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Baltimore MD (SPX) Mar 14, 2024
What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385. Although planets are not yet forming around those stars, these and other molecules detected there by Webb represent key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds. An in
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