This text is part of the special Le Petit D
Soon it will be the shortest day of the year … but also the longest night! This will give you plenty of time to contemplate the night sky, a good hot chocolate in your hands. Of all the mysteries in space, did you know that probes To travel have elucidated several? Light on these explorers of our solar system, and more.
Heading for the giant planets
To travelis the name given to the two probes sent in 1977 by the American space agency (NASA). Their mission: to study the giant planets of the solar system more closely, that is to say Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, as well as their respective natural satellites. These spaceships have greatly enriched our knowledge of distant worlds, whether through the discovery of new moons, by gathering information on the complexity of Saturn’s rings or even by revealing the existence of volcanoes on the moon Io. of Jupiter!
Interstellar exploration
Data collected by Traveling 1 and Traveling 2 make it the most scientifically enriching solar system exploration mission in space history. So much so that these probes are still at work, and not just anywhere: they have now exceeded the limits of the solar system! They represent the first human-made objects to pass through what is known as the “heliosphere” – a protective bubble dominated by particles ejected by the Sun. It is estimated that the batteries of the probes will allow them to send us data until 2025. By then, perhaps they will allow us to learn more about the interstellar environment …
A disc intended for extraterrestrial civilizations
Are we alone in the Universe, or is there an extraterrestrial civilization? This is a big question that scientists all over the world are trying to answer. In the event that the probes To travel would be intercepted by inhabitants of another planet, they contain a symbolic message of humanity in the form of a golden disc. A wealth of information about the Earth is engraved on it, starting with a map showing the position of our solar system in the galaxy. There is also music, sounds of nature, such as a kiss from a mother to her child, the word “hello” in 55 languages as well as 115 coded images of all kinds, ranging from human anatomy to the Great Wall of China!
The commission responsible for determining what to burn on these discs took more than a year to select them. And you, if you had to send a bottle to the sea to extraterrestrial civilizations, what would you choose to represent the Earth and its citizens?
If you too want to propel yourself through the solar system, the movie Voyager probes. the endless journey, on view from December 14 at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, will allow you to learn more about these fabulous space explorers.