Celebrating the 48-year anniversary of Voyager 1's launch, NASA releases archived footage featuring Carl Sagan to commemorate this milestone in space exploration.

Voyager Spacecrafts Explore the Cosmos

Voyager 1, a pioneering spacecraft launched by NASA in 1977, made history in 2012 when it exited the heliosphere and entered interstellar space. Its companion, Voyager 2, followed suit in 2018.

The duo's journey began at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 5, 1977. Their primary aim was to study Jupiter and Saturn up close. Voyager 1 overtook Voyager 2 on December 15, 1977, and continued on its mission.

Both spacecrafts went on to make significant discoveries. Voyager 2 flew by Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989, while Voyager 1 was placed on a faster trajectory toward Jupiter.

The Voyagers are powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), ensuring they can continue their journey through the cosmos. These generators convert the heat from the decay of radioactive materials into electricity.

A key member of Voyager's imaging team was Carl Sagan, who was also a major advocate of the Golden Records placed on the Voyager spacecrafts. These records, created by a team led by Sagan, contain sounds and images representing life and culture on Earth, serving as a time capsule for intelligent extraterrestrial life or future humans.

Sagan, who emphasized the importance of preserving and cherishing Earth, is featured in a recently released archival video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In the video, he unveiled the iconic "Pale Blue Dot" image for the first time, which shows Earth as a tiny, fragile dot in the vast emptiness of space.

Ed Stone, the longtime project scientist of NASA's Voyager mission, is also featured in the video. The duo has had a few technical upsets in the past few years, but engineers expect Voyagers to remain in contact with Earth until around 2036.

To this day, Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune. On February 14, 1990, Voyager 1 took images of Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Mars, the Sun, and then Jupiter, Earth, and Venus.

As these historic spacecrafts continue their journey beyond our solar system, they serve as a testament to human curiosity and ingenuity, carrying with them a message of peace and a snapshot of life on Earth.