IOWA CITY, Iowa — Nearly 47 years ago, two NASA spacecraft set out to fly on one of the largest journeys in our solar system and learn about our outer gas giants.

They were launched within a special planetary window that only occurs once every 176 years. This allows the spacecraft to change orbit using the gravity of each planet it passes, reaching the next planet on its path with minimal fuel usage.

The Voyager spacecraft paved the way for understanding our solar system, but the system is now more than 25 billion miles from Earth. It takes about 23 hours for light and radio signals to travel in one direction, and this is still changing our understanding of the universe.

The instruments currently on board and operational were built and are still operated by the University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy.

One of these is the Plasma Wave Subsystem, which measures subtle waves in plasma fields around planets and in space.

The device has played a pivotal role in some of our most incredible explorations in space; This includes the data set that validates when to do it. Voyager entered the interstellar medium beyond our solar system in 2012.

It was also effectivedetecting lightning on another planet first time in the early 80s. Lightning emits a wide variety of electromagnetic waves. Because the speed at which each of these waves travels is different, a strange, descending whistling sound is created.

This sound was heard from World War II through the University of Iowa’s instrument on the rover. In the early days of World War II, spies were caught flying while trying to eavesdrop on their enemies, using the technique that first discovered the telltale sound of lightning. .

The methodology shows how decades of research continues to pile up and turn into greater discoveries as the years pass.

D., a research scientist at the University of Iowa and a co-investigator of the Voyager Plasma Wave. Bill Kurth was part of the initial development of the device nearly half a century ago and continues to monitor data sent back from the aging spacecraft. until today.

As a graduate student, I worked on hardware to fly with the Voyager spacecraft. Literally a month before Voyager 1 reached Jupiter, I defended my PhD thesis and then asked if I could stay longer to see what kind of data we would get. I didn’t know I would still be doing this 45 years later,” Dr. Kurth said.

I think it’s really exciting, every time I look at a new data file I realize I’m seeing something no one has ever seen before.

As spacecraft continue to age, instruments are being shut down to save power and extend the life of the spacecraft. Of the approximately 10 instruments on board, only four remain. The University of Iowa’s device, which allows us to better understand our place among the stars, is one of those that is still in working order.

It’s still unclear how long the Voyager probes have left, but estimates suggest they could arrive by the early 2030s. But they will still be drifting through the vastness of space, and will likely outlive our own star, the Sun, long after it closes down.

You can find more information about you and University of Iowa participation in Voyager missions here or their involvement in a multitude of things. flagship NASA missions are here.

To follow Voyager or learn more about it, check out the links below from NASA’s mission pages.