NASA’s Voyager 2, Launched 50 Years Ago, expected to Outlast Earth Itself
Launched in 1973, NASA’s Voyager 2 is a testament to engineering designed for an unimaginable lifespan.Unlike typical space probes, Voyager 2 was built for extreme durability, featuring a minimalist design with the fewest possible moving parts and power sources intended to function for decades.The probe is powered by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) utilizing plutonium-238, a power source unmatched by modern alternatives despite its gradual decline. Voyager 2 currently travels at approximately 55,000 kilometers per hour and is over 21 billion kilometers from Earth. Its titanium casing protects it from cosmic radiation and micrometeoroids.
Before its eventual decommissioning,NASA equipped Voyager 2 with a phonograph containing sounds and greetings from Earth in 55 languages,and a selection of music – a potential message to any future civilization that might encounter it.
While its instruments are projected to cease operation around 2030,the probe itself is expected to drift through the Milky Way for billions of years,potentially surviving even the eventual conversion of our sun into a red giant in five billion years. Voyager 2 may continue its journey long after earth and humanity are gone, serving as a silent monument to our existence.
