 |
|
Computer simulation predicts Voyager 2 will reach major milestone in space in late 2007-early 2008
November 28, 2007According to UC Riverside physicist's model, spacecraft will cross 'termination shock' one more time, in mid-2008
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Using a computer model simulation, Haruichi Washimi, a physicist at UC Riverside, has predicted when the interplanetary spacecraft Voyager 2 will cross the "termination shock," the spherical shell around the solar system that marks where the solar wind slows down to subsonic speed.
According to Washimi's simulations, the spacecraft is set to cross the termination shock in late 2007-early 2008. To make this forecast, Washimi and his colleagues used data from Voyager 2 and performed a global "magneto-hydrodynamic simulation" - a method that allows for precise and quantitative predictions of geomagnetic disturbances caused by solar activities.
Because Voyager 2's crossing of the shock is expected to be an abrupt and relatively brief event, scientists are working to ensure that the most is made of the opportunity. With an idea of when the spacecraft will cross the shock, they are better able to maximize coverage of the crossing.
Study results appear in the Dec. 1 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
"Washimi's model has predicted the location of a boundary that is approximately 90 times farther from the sun than is the Earth, to within a few percent," said Gary Zank, the director of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics and one of the coauthors of the research paper. "This is truly remarkable given the enormous complexity of the physics involved, the temporal and spatial scales involved, and the variability of the solar wind conditions."
The solar wind - a stream of charged particles ejected by the sun in all directions - travels at supersonic speeds when it leaves the sun, until it eventually encounters the interstellar medium made up of plasma, neutral gas and dust.
At the termination shock, located at 7-8.5 billion miles from the sun, the solar wind is decelerated to less than the speed of sound. The boundary of the termination shock is not fixed, however, but wobbly, fluctuating in both time and distance from the sun, depending on solar activity.
"This is the first time the termination-shock position has been forecast in this way," said Washimi, the lead author of the research paper and a scientist at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. "After it crosses this boundary, Voyager 2 will be in the outer heliosphere beyond which lies the interstellar medium and galactic space. Our simulations also show that the spacecraft will cross the termination shock again in the middle of 2008. This will happen because of the back and forth movement of the termination-shock boundary. This means Voyager 2 will experience multiple crossings of the termination shock. These crossings will come to an end after the spacecraft escapes into galactic space."
Voyager 2 was launched Aug. 20, 1977. It visited four planets and their moons in the course of its journey into space. Its sister spacecraft Voyager 1, which was launched Sept. 5, 1977, crossed the termination shock in December 2004 - earlier than Voyager 2 because of a shorter trajectory. Both spacecraft are currently operational, but power sources have degraded and some of the instrumentation no longer works optimally. In the future, the spacecraft will encounter their next milestone in space: the heliopause, which is the boundary where the interstellar medium brings the solar wind to a halt.
University of California - Riverside
Because Voyager 2's crossing of the shock is expected to be an abrupt and relatively brief event, scientists are working to ensure that the most is made of the opportunity. With an idea of when the spacecraft will cross the shock, they are better able to maximize coverage of the crossing.
Study results appear in the Dec. 1 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
"Washimi's model has predicted the location of a boundary that is approximately 90 times farther from the sun than is the Earth, to within a few percent," said Gary Zank, the director of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics and one of the coauthors of the research paper. "This is truly remarkable given the enormous complexity of the physics involved, the temporal and spatial scales involved, and the variability of the solar wind conditions."
The solar wind - a stream of charged particles ejected by the sun in all directions - travels at supersonic speeds when it leaves the sun, until it eventually encounters the interstellar medium made up of plasma, neutral gas and dust.
At the termination shock, located at 7-8.5 billion miles from the sun, the solar wind is decelerated to less than the speed of sound. The boundary of the termination shock is not fixed, however, but wobbly, fluctuating in both time and distance from the sun, depending on solar activity.
"This is the first time the termination-shock position has been forecast in this way," said Washimi, the lead author of the research paper and a scientist at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. "After it crosses this boundary, Voyager 2 will be in the outer heliosphere beyond which lies the interstellar medium and galactic space. Our simulations also show that the spacecraft will cross the termination shock again in the middle of 2008. This will happen because of the back and forth movement of the termination-shock boundary. This means Voyager 2 will experience multiple crossings of the termination shock. These crossings will come to an end after the spacecraft escapes into galactic space."
Voyager 2 was launched Aug. 20, 1977. It visited four planets and their moons in the course of its journey into space. Its sister spacecraft Voyager 1, which was launched Sept. 5, 1977, crossed the termination shock in December 2004 - earlier than Voyager 2 because of a shorter trajectory. Both spacecraft are currently operational, but power sources have degraded and some of the instrumentation no longer works optimally. In the future, the spacecraft will encounter their next milestone in space: the heliopause, which is the boundary where the interstellar medium brings the solar wind to a halt.
University of California - Riverside
Voyager Current Events and Voyager News RSSA Long Night Falls Over Saturn's Rings
As Saturn's rings orbit the planet, a section is typically in the planet's shadow, experiencing a brief night lasting from 6 to 14 hours. However, once approximately every 15 years, night falls over the entire visible ring system for about four days.
NAE announces award winners John Casani and Sheila Widnall
During its 2009 annual meeting, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) will present two awards for extraordinary impacts on the engineering profession.
New technique could find water on Earth-like planets orbiting distant suns
Since the early 1990s astronomers have discovered more than 300 planets orbiting stars other than our sun, nearly all of them gas giants like Jupiter.
Cost of hatchling turtles' dash for freedom
A newly hatched sea turtle's first swim is the most critical of its life. Having run the gauntlet of air and land predators to make it to the sea, the tiny voyager must also evade hungry fish patrolling the beaches in its bid for freedom.
NASA spacecraft ready to explore outer solar system
The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into the cold expanse of space is ready for launch Oct. 19. The two-year mission will begin from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Stellar still births
The systematics of celestial bodies apparently needs to be revised. Researchers at the Argelander Institute of Astronomy of the University of Bonn have discovered that brown dwarfs need to be treated as a separate class in addition to stars and planets.
Hubble, Keck images show continued turbulence in Jupiter's atmosphere
Increased turbulence and storms first observed on Jupiter more than two years ago are still raging, according to astronomers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, who snapped high-resolution pictures of the planet earlier this month.
Storm Winds Blow in Jupiter's Little Red Spot
Using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and two telescopes at Earth, an international team of scientists has found that one of the solar system's largest and newest storms - Jupiter's Little Red Spot - has some of the highest wind speeds ever detected on any planet.
Voyager 2 Proves the Solar System is Squashed
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has followed its twin Voyager 1 into the solar system's final frontier, a vast region at the edge of our solar system where the solar wind runs up against the thin gas between the stars.
Astronomers get first look at Uranus's rings as they swing edge-on to Earth
As the rings of Uranus swing edge-on to Earth - a short-lived view we get only once every 42 years - astronomers observing the event are getting an unprecedented, glare-free view of the rings and the fine dust that permeates them.
More Voyager Current Events and Voyager News Articles
 |
Star Trek Voyager: Seasons 1-7 Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan STAR TREK VOYAGER details the adventures of the Starfleet's most adventurous starship, the U.S.S. Voyager, as it is led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Mulgrew) on missions into deep space. |
 |
Voyager (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon (Author) In this rich, vibrant tale, Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber. Sweeping us from the battlefields of eighteenth-century Scotland to the exotic West Indies, Diana Gabaldon weaves magic once again in an exhilarating and utterly unforgettable novel.... Their love affair happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her ... and her body still cries out for him in her... |
 |
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Third Season Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/05/2008 |
 |
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Fourth Season Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/05/2008 |
 |
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete First Season Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill Directed By: Winrich Kolbe Also With: Brad Yacobian (Producer), David Livingston (Producer), J.P. Farrell (Producer), Gene Roddenberry (Writer), Jeri Taylor (Writer), Michael Piller (Writer), Rick Berman (Writer) In the first season of STAR TREK: VOYAGER, while in pursuit of a Maquis ship in the Badlands, Captain Kathryn Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager are pulled into the Delta Quadrant. After making a decision that saves an entire species from being destroyed, but leaves both crews stranded, they must join forces to begin a 75-year journey across 70,000 light years of space to return to the Alpha Quadrant, the Federation and home. |
 |
Reusable Screen Protector for LG VX10000 Voyager, 2 LCD Kit by Beyond Cell Protect your Cell Phone's LCD screen against dust and scratches and eliminate glare 2 piece design, for front and inside LCD Designed for perfect fit with the LCD screen Offers tough, durable, transparent surface while keeping the LCD screen clean and unscratched Attaches smoothly with self-adhering surface; leaves no residue when removed Features 99% UV Protection: Reduces eye strain caused by the LCD screen Anti-Scratch Film: thickest and most durable 99% Transparent: unmatched clarity Washable and Reusable: Never need to buy another screen protector again Silicone Adhesive Coating: No glue residue when removed Ultra Smooth Surface: Enhance the experience and utilization of touch screen and stylus features Includes Reusable Screen Protector Lint-free Cleaning Cloth Resold... |
 |
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Seventh Season Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan STAR TREK VOYAGER - THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON details the adventures of the Starfleet's most adventurous starship, the U.S.S. Voyager, as it is led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Mulgrew) on missions into deep space. |
 |
Star Trek: Voyager: Full Circle (Star Trek, Voyager) by Kirsten Beyer (Author) When the U.S.S. Voyager is dispatched on an urgent mission to the planet Kerovi, Captain Chakotay and his first officer, Commander Thomas Paris, must choose between following their orders and saving the lives of two of those dearest to them. B'Elanna Torres and her daughter, Miral, are both missing in the wake of a brutal attack on the Klingon world of Boreth. With the aid of their former captain, Admiral Kathryn Janeway -- as well as many old friends and new allies -- Voyager's crew must unravel an ancient mystery, placing themselves between two warrior sects battling for the soul of the Klingon people...while the life of Miral hangs in the balance. But these events and their repercussions are merely the prelude to even darker days to come. As Voyager is drawn into a desperate... |
 |
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Fifth Season Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips Directed By: Allan Eastman, Allan Kroeker, Anson Williams, Cliff Bole, David Livingston STAR TREK VOYAGER: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON features the adventures of the Voyager crew led by Capt. Janeway (Mulgrew). Throughout the season, the Voyager crew plunges into a vast, empty, star-less expanse, makes a surprising discovery in a most unexpected place, has a chance encounter with the remains of a destroyed Borg vessel that results in an unusual effect on Seven of Nine, and suddenly discovers a wormhole that apparently leads to Earth. |
 |
Voyagers! - The Complete Series Starring: Meeno Peluce, Jon-Erik Hexum Celebrating it's 25th Anniversary take a journey back in time with Voyagers! The Complete Series for the first time on DVD! Join Phineas Bogg (Jon-Erik Hexum) and Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce) as they travel through time fixing history in all ground-breaking 20 episodes of this cult-classic show. From the Titanic to ancient Egypt when the time-travelling Omni blinks red our intrepid time travellers rush to fix the space-time continuum and make sure history gets back on track. You can help save history by making sure you own Voyagers! on DVD today!System Requirements:TRT: 972 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025195013765 Manufacturer No: 61101023 |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |