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They are the first human-made objects to do so, a distinction they will hold for at least another few decades. Uhh...won't they still be the first?

333c 4y ago
Not once we invent time travel in a few decades.
- _0ffh 4y ago
  We told you, no spoilers! Stop messing with this time line, or we'll have to start over again!
  - RedShift1 4y ago
    Should we give them another chance to avoid the dark timeline and reset them to pre-Harambe?
hourago 4y ago
> They have traveled farther and lasted longer than any other spacecraft in history. And they have crossed into interstellar space, according to our best understanding of the boundary between the sun's sphere of influence and the rest of the galaxy. They are the first human-made objects to do so, a distinction they will hold for at least another few decades. They will be the ones that have traveled the farthest until faster objects catch up and surpass them. It may take time until we send anything faster, and it's going to need time to catch up, so it will take decades.
- wyldfire 4y ago
  But when they do catch up and surpass them, they won't unseat the first ones at being first.
  - hourago 4y ago
    I know what you mean. What I say is that "distinction" is a substitute for "have traveled farther and lasted longer" not "the first human-made".
    - in_cahoots 4y ago
      But that’s not what first means! You’re either first or you have traveled farther, combining them into one clause doesn’t make sense. If I’m the first person to be the fastest runner, then nobody else can be first. It just doesn’t make any sense. Someone can be faster, but they’ll never be first.
aardvarkr 4y ago
The full quote with context makes it pretty clear that the author is talking about crossing into interstellar space/leaving the solar system. It certainly could have been better worded though and should be fixed. “And they have crossed into interstellar space, according to our best understanding of the boundary between the sun's sphere of influence and the rest of the galaxy. They are the first human-made objects to do so, a distinction they will hold for at least another few decades.”
- mokus 4y ago
  It doesn’t matter what it’s about though - if they were first at something then barring time travel they will always be the first, no matter how many more do it.
  - lkrubner 4y ago
    "according to our best understanding of the boundary" -- they are the first to cross the boundary unless our understanding of the boundary changes, and then there is the small possibility that something faster can reach the "real" boundary faster.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
mastazi 4y ago
The way I see this is: today, we say that Voyager 1 and 2 were the first. Imagine that Voyager 3 and 4 are launched next year. In 100 years from now, people will say that voyager 1,2,3 and 4 were the first. It's not that voyager 1 and 2 will lose that distinction, but they might share it with others, in the same way that Voyager 2 shares it with Voyager 1 to our eyes.
peter303 4y ago
New hHorizons will eventually overtake them because it had the goal of reaching Pluto in the lifetime of its investigators.

333c 4y ago

Not once we invent time travel in a few decades.

_0ffh 4y ago
We told you, no spoilers! Stop messing with this time line, or we'll have to start over again!
- RedShift1 4y ago
  Should we give them another chance to avoid the dark timeline and reset them to pre-Harambe?

hourago 4y ago

> They have traveled farther and lasted longer than any other spacecraft in history. And they have crossed into interstellar space, according to our best understanding of the boundary between the sun's sphere of influence and the rest of the galaxy. They are the first human-made objects to do so, a distinction they will hold for at least another few decades. They will be the ones that have traveled the farthest until faster objects catch up and surpass them. It may take time until we send anything faster, and it's going to need time to catch up, so it will take decades.

wyldfire 4y ago
But when they do catch up and surpass them, they won't unseat the first ones at being first.
- hourago 4y ago
  I know what you mean. What I say is that "distinction" is a substitute for "have traveled farther and lasted longer" not "the first human-made".
  - in_cahoots 4y ago
    But that’s not what first means! You’re either first or you have traveled farther, combining them into one clause doesn’t make sense. If I’m the first person to be the fastest runner, then nobody else can be first. It just doesn’t make any sense. Someone can be faster, but they’ll never be first.

aardvarkr 4y ago

The full quote with context makes it pretty clear that the author is talking about crossing into interstellar space/leaving the solar system. It certainly could have been better worded though and should be fixed. “And they have crossed into interstellar space, according to our best understanding of the boundary between the sun's sphere of influence and the rest of the galaxy. They are the first human-made objects to do so, a distinction they will hold for at least another few decades.”

mokus 4y ago
It doesn’t matter what it’s about though - if they were first at something then barring time travel they will always be the first, no matter how many more do it.
- lkrubner 4y ago
  "according to our best understanding of the boundary" -- they are the first to cross the boundary unless our understanding of the boundary changes, and then there is the small possibility that something faster can reach the "real" boundary faster.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

mastazi 4y ago

The way I see this is: today, we say that Voyager 1 and 2 were the first. Imagine that Voyager 3 and 4 are launched next year. In 100 years from now, people will say that voyager 1,2,3 and 4 were the first. It's not that voyager 1 and 2 will lose that distinction, but they might share it with others, in the same way that Voyager 2 shares it with Voyager 1 to our eyes.

peter303 4y ago

New hHorizons will eventually overtake them because it had the goal of reaching Pluto in the lifetime of its investigators.