3 ms·
Considering it's life expectancy is already about half over ... we should launch another probe or two (perhaps in the opposite direction?). We have better today
by CodeCube 14y ago
Considering it's life expectancy is already about half over ... we should launch another probe or two (perhaps in the opposite direction?). We have better today these days and could probably build it to go for many decades longer. The sooner we launch, the sooner our kids will have data.
- dirktheman 14y agoWe already did: the New Horizons is out there, too. But in the 60's and 70's there was a lot more budget than these days...
- CodeCube 14y agooh cool, hadn't seen that. Hopefully the probe will keep going after its initial mission to pluto has concluded.
- danielweber 14y agoOne big reason for launching when they did was the conjunction of the planets that let them slingshot past so many of them. Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years or so, but getting Uranus/Neptune in the mix (which Voyager 2 did, IIRC) is a lot more rare.