It can be fun to find local connections tied to extraordinary events. Take Voyager 1 for example… This space probe was launched in 1977 and is currently the farthest craft from Earth as it continues exploring whatever’s out there … nearly 16-billion miles away.
A local twist- when Voyager 1 went offline in 2024, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope on Mauna Kea was instrumental (pardon the pun) in getting the old rust bucket back online.
By late 2026, it’ll take a full 24 hours for a signal to get from here to Voyager 1, and vice versa. Well, that’s what happens when you leave home and travel 16 billion miles. For perspective, note that even (former planet) Pluto is never tumbling more than five billion miles away from Earth.
So Voyager 1 is still playing radio hits- from at least three times as far away as Pluto, which always seemed so far away that it was tough to comprehend its earthly relevance. Voyager 1- a man-made probe still rockin’ among celestial rocks a half century after its launch. Imagine the (lack of) technology back then! People working on the Voyager 1 project in 2026 have parents who weren’t even born when liftoff occurred in 1977.
Closer to home, NASA plans to launch Artemis II within weeks with four astronauts aboard; it’s set to circle the moon in the first lunar project staffed by humans since 1972 (Apollo 17). Ground control to Major Tom, indeed!
NASA’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai has provided simulation testing for the spacecraft’s recovery. I remember crowding around a (black and white) TV set gazing with other summer campers in July, 1969, when Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong took “…one small step for man”. Artemis II astronauts will be testing their spacecraft as its lunar trajectory will purportedly allow the quartet to see moon vistas heretofore unseen. Luna lunacy!
Another local connection- UH-Mānoa scientists are involved with the Artemis project, developing key technology for upcoming lunar excursion modules (LEMs). And (of course) Hawai`i Island’s lava terrain has always been useful for astronaut training to simulate the barren moonscape.
Looking around Earth these days, things can seem kinda rocky. But with upcoming NASA plans, we can once again look up to witness humankind’s quest to discover what may lie well beyond this mortal coil.
Think about it…