It's Back! Voyager Is Making Sense Again After Months of Gibberish
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It's Back! Voyager Is Making Sense Again After Months of Gibberish
Just wow. How is it that one can feel both glad and sad over the fates of these craft?
I always had a nagging internal question about the wisdom of including a map of the solar system pointing to the origin of this craft.
Only a little niggle, since it seems more likely than not that any species with the intelligence/development to grab the craft and make intelligence of the recordings would probably not need anything so archaic as a map to discern its origin.
Still, I think we're a bit naive.
Only a little niggle, since it seems more likely than not that any species with the intelligence/development to grab the craft and make intelligence of the recordings would probably not need anything so archaic as a map to discern its origin.
Still, I think we're a bit naive.
I always had a nagging internal question about the wisdom of including a map of the solar system pointing to the origin of this craft.
Only a little niggle, since it seems more likely than not that any species with the intelligence/development to grab the craft and make intelligence of the recordings would probably not need anything so archaic as a map to discern its origin.
Still, I think we're a bit naive.
Only a little niggle, since it seems more likely than not that any species with the intelligence/development to grab the craft and make intelligence of the recordings would probably not need anything so archaic as a map to discern its origin.
Still, I think we're a bit naive.
Tabs please !
Only 2 genders, how 1970's 
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I always had a nagging internal question about the wisdom of including a map of the solar system pointing to the origin of this craft.
Only a little niggle, since it seems more likely than not that any species with the intelligence/development to grab the craft and make intelligence of the recordings would probably not need anything so archaic as a map to discern its origin.
Still, I think we're a bit naive.
Only a little niggle, since it seems more likely than not that any species with the intelligence/development to grab the craft and make intelligence of the recordings would probably not need anything so archaic as a map to discern its origin.
Still, I think we're a bit naive.
Is there a distance by which the radio signal will be so dispersed the space ship won't be able to read it? Or could a signal be beamed to infinity and still be read?
Second question. For an object that small could another race actually detect it as a non naturel thing? Wouldn't it just be mistaken for another small asteroid and ignored?
I wonder if in millions of years decedents of humans will find it and convince themselves there are other civilisations in the universe.
I wonder if in millions of years decedents of humans will find it and convince themselves there are other civilisations in the universe.
Question. How is it possible to transmit a signal that distant and still maintain integrity, signal strength etc?
Is there a distance by which the radio signal will be so dispersed the space ship won't be able to read it? Or could a signal be beamed to infinity and still be read?
Is there a distance by which the radio signal will be so dispersed the space ship won't be able to read it? Or could a signal be beamed to infinity and still be read?
It's going to be a very long time to double the current distance away from us. That would require transmitting 4X the power and gathering 4X the energy, both easily done by the ground stations if the money was in place and the spacecraft is still working.
I expect the radioisotope thermal generator (RTG) electrical power source output will fall below that which is required to operate the computers and that will be the end.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-...power-strategy shows they are already cutting power use to match the decline.
45+ years on a 4 year mission? Not too shabby.
Last edited by MechEngr; 29th Apr 2024 at 13:49.
Ref the RTG life, It appears they are now down to delivering about 50% of the power they were 45 years back..
https://rps.nasa.gov/news/63/nasa-ce...isotope-power/
https://rps.nasa.gov/news/63/nasa-ce...isotope-power/
Makes your average EV range look a bit feeble!
)
Question. How is it possible to transmit a signal that distant and still maintain integrity, signal strength etc?
Is there a distance by which the radio signal will be so dispersed the space ship won't be able to read it? Or could a signal be beamed to infinity and still be read?
Is there a distance by which the radio signal will be so dispersed the space ship won't be able to read it? Or could a signal be beamed to infinity and still be read?
Transmissions through space are subject to large losses and attenuations - as well as the spreading of the beam with distance, already mentioned. Even uplinking a television picture to a satellite in geo-stationary orbit just 40,000km above the Earth suffers significant losses. In the early days of analogue television; transmit powers of up to 1,200 Watts feeding a 2 or 3m dish were required for a broadcast quality signal. Nowadays with digital coding, much lower power can be used because many errors in the data stream can be detected and corrected and reconstructed by the receivers.
However the distances involved across space are so great that those hoping to detect alien transmissions are probably going to be disappointed. To transmit over light-year distances; one would need to modulate something that was a significant fraction of the size of a small star. Anything smaller would be lost in the noise before it travelled any real distance.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Interstellar communications laser.
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2013...or-deep-space/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-...ves-first-data
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2013...or-deep-space/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-...ves-first-data