Projects: Space Information
The Planetary Report
Volume XXII, Number 5, September/October 2002
Credit: JPL / NASA. Painting (center): Paul Hudson |
On the Cover
The Voyager mission played a significant role in the
founding of The Planetary Society. And, starting with our first issue 22
years ago, Voyager's images have graced many covers of The Planetary
Report. Here are just a few of them.
From The Editor
Voyager is without doubt my favorite space mission. I know many others --
writers, scientists, and engineers among them -- who feel the same way. But
I can't tell you for sure why these two spacecraft have inspired such deep
affection.
The Voyager spacecraft don't look anything like the cute little robots
for which humans usually develop affection. These hearty machines -- all
antennae, boxes, and booms -- resemble nothing living. So, that's not the
reason.
Nor was Voyager the first mission to
reach the outer solar system; Pioneers 10
and 11 blazed the trails to Jupiter and Saturn.
Voyager was the first to reach Uranus
and Neptune, but our unaccountable affection
had already developed by then.
I have only one hypothesis about this
affection phenomenon: Voyager's story
fills our need for great sagas. Voyager gave
us tales of cleverness, bravery, and perseverance
that together formed a story of
great adventure. Discovery after discovery
astounded us, and we came to know the
worlds of the outer solar system as distinct
personalities, like characters in a saga.
Humans crave great sagas. We need
to believe we can rise above the mundane
and reach what once seemed unattainable.
We want heroes like Voyager. And when
we find them, we love them.
— Charlene M. Anderson
Features
Voyager: An End and a New Beginning
Bruce Murray has now retired to the
relative peace of an emeritus professorship at the California Institute
of Technology and the chairmanship of The Planetary Society's Board of
Directors. However, during the first Voyager encounters with Jupiter and
Saturn, he was not only directing the Jet Propulsion Laboratory but also
working with Carl Sagan to create a truly public group dedicated to exploration:
The Planetary Society. Here, he reflects on the golden days of exploration
and discovery, explaining Voyager's significance today.
Voyager: A Grand
Mission
Voyager's discoveries will stand as hallmarks of the
great age of space exploration. At each new planet encounter, the spacecraft
surprised us with unanticipated wonders: a ring around Jupiter, "spokes"
in Saturn's
rings, the baffling face of Miranda, nitrogen geysers on Triton. The daunting
task of summarizing all that Voyager taught us is here undertaken by Ellis
Miner, who served as deputy project scientist for Voyager.
Voyager: A Message
From Earth
The two Voyager spacecraft carry a remarkable message to the
future: a record containing the sounds and sights of our home planet. Renowned
science writer Timothy Ferris, who was part of the team that developed
the record, recalls the experience here. Among his fellow record producers
were Planetary Society cofounder Carl Sagan, Board of Directors member Ann
Druyan, and Advisory Council members Frank Drake and Jon Lomberg. Like nearly
every story connected with Voyager, theirs is a tale of human achievement
and faith in the future.
DEPARTMENTS
Members’ Dialogue
Society News
World Watch
Questions and Answers
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