Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site aecom.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!mcnc!philabs!aecom!werner From: werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Voyager, on to Uranus. Message-ID: <1792@aecom.UUCP> Date: Thu, 11-Jul-85 23:55:41 EDT Article-I.D.: aecom.1792 Posted: Thu Jul 11 23:55:41 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 02:30:28 EDT Distribution: na Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY Lines: 27 Condensed fr. NY Daily News, by Edward Edelson, Science Editor. While the publicity builds for Halley's comet, Voyager II is plodding steadily at 40,000 mph towards another planetary encounter. When it reaches it's next target, Uranus, Voyager will be more than eight years from Earth and more than four years past its last target, Saturn. Comparatively little is known of Uranus. What is known that Uranus is 64X the volume of the Earth, has five moons and a tedious set of dark rings, discovered only in 1969. Most of the work will be done in a few hours when Voyager makes its closest approach at 1 pm next January 24. (Mark your calendar -:)) The data will actually reach Earth 2 hrs 43 min later, from the satellites 25 watt radio transmitter (Only 25 watts - pretty amazing reception, if you ask me!) After that it will reach Neptune on Aug 24, 1989, and then be propelled downward out of the solar system. (It's companion, Voyager I was propelled upward out of solar system immediately after encountering Saturn) Signals should come from the satelites as long as their power holds out, which could be as late as 2005 or 2010. (They run on Nuclear decay, if I am not mistaken.) -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "The world is just a straight man for you sometimes"