So Far Away

Earlier this week, I read an article about the Voyager I space probe and the fact that it is believed by many to have left our solar system. This is debated by NASA who believe the probe to be still within our solar system but what isn't disputed is that the probe is a very long way away from its home planet Earth - 18 billion kilomenters away, give or take a few million.

The fact that we can still receive radio signals from the probe is by itself amazing. The distance does necessitate a six hour wait until they are received by NASA but considering the probe dates from 1977 when it was launched, this has to be one of our most enduring accomplishments.
It is difficult to imagine something made by us being so far away. The vastness of the environment it is in means it will take another 40,000 years before it reaches the very nearest star and even then it will be two light years away. The sad thing about all this is that even if there is anyone left on Earth, there will be no radio signal to indicate it had arrived there as its plutonium batteries will run dry in 10-15 years.
The Arthur C Clarke in me would like to think that some distant space traveller will find it, give it an oil and brush up, recharge its batteries and send it on its way again. The likelihood is that it will simply drift through space for eternity.

 

I do though like to cling to the possibility that it will be discovered by some distant civilisation and its on board gold-plated video disc played to reveal the 'sounds of Earth', messages of greeting and photographs taken of a very distant blue planet.

An Amazing Feat

Like many, I watched yesterday dumbstruck and in awe as Felix Baumgartner literally sat on the edge of space and prepared to free fall back to earth 28 miles below. The experience of watching this man prepare for one of the most daring feats in modern times must have been similar to the experiences of countless millions all those years ago when man first set foot on the Moon.

Modern technology allowed us all to literally see what Felix was seeing including the stunning views of Earth way below and the free fall through the stratosphere at incredible speeds.
I understand that much has been learnt from this and science has benefited by better understanding the effects on the human body and the possibility of escape from the International Space Station or future shuttle craft. This is of course a good thing and proves that it is possible, given the right equipment, to survive a fall back to Earth. Certainly worthy of an entry in the record books and our annuls of history.