Way Too Slow

As cool as these Voyager spacecraft are and as much as they've given humanity, I've got to say: they are awfully darned slow.

According to NASA, "In about 40,000 years, Voyager 1 will drift within 1.6 light years (9.3 trillion miles) of AC+79 3888, a star in the constellation of Ophiucius. In some 296,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass 4.3 light years (25 trillion miles) from Sirius, the brightest star in the sky ."

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/interstellar.html
http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/weekly-reports/index.htm

And we'll be where? 8O :S

I wonder how long it will take for them to deteriorate into dust? :S

I think by then they may be sitting on display in a museum because we will have flown out there and got them.

Andreas

Slow compared to what? Your car or the starship Enterprise?

Lee Spain said:

As cool as these Voyager spacecraft are and as much as they've given humanity, I've got to say: they are awfully darned slow.

According to NASA, "In about 40,000 years, Voyager 1 will drift within 1.6 light years (9.3 trillion miles) of AC+79 3888, a star in the constellation of Ophiucius. In some 296,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass 4.3 light years (25 trillion miles) from Sirius, the brightest star in the sky ."

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/interstellar.html
http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/weekly-reports/index.htm