How long is the Voyager 1 supposed to be in orbit or is it supposed to orbit forever until it breaks?

Question

Also, with how much technology has changed since it was launched on September 5, 1977 how does it have modern technology when it was built for 1977 technology abilities?

Answer 1

1 It isn't in orbot around anything very much, except the centre of the galaxy, and I suppose the centre of mass of the local cluster. It is NOT in orbit round either the earth nor the sun, having achieved escape velocity from both of those. It is heading towards interstellar space.



2 It is not coming back, or at least not on a scale even as long as tens of billions of years. However, in 10-20 years it will have lost so much power, and moved so far away, that it won't be able to communicate any more. It will have become a piece of space junk, like so many others - but much further away than any other piece.



3 The main areas in which technology has changed out of all recognition since the Voyagers were launched are computing and imaging. The Voyagers' computers are very primitive, and their cameras aren't much better. Compared with Curiosity, for example, a similar-sized probe, the Voyagers are very much beginners' attempts at space probes.

Answer 2

Voyager 1 is not a satellite. It is not in orbit around anything. It is a probe, designed to fly past several planets and record images and data as it passed. After its primary mission was accomplished, it has continued on its way out of the Solar System into interstellar space. It continues to send data back while its generator continues to function, but that will end in a few years. It will continue on forever, possibly encountering other planetary systems in the far distant future, but it is not aimed at any particular target. It carries a gold phonograph record with instructions and a stylus to play it, with the voices and music and pictures of Earth, an interstellar time and space capsule. It doesn't have modern technology, or at least anything more modern than was "state of the art" at the time it was launched.

Answer 3

It's not in orbit except around the center of the galaxy. The radioisotope thermal generate will provide enough power to power some instruments and the radio until 2025 or so. After that, the plutonium will have decayed so much that it won't provide enough heat (converted to electricity by a thermoelectric material) to power anything.



It does not have modern technology, it has 1970s technology. They store data on magnetic tape and took pictures using an early electronic camera developed in the 50s called a vidicon.

Answer 4

The whole point of Voyager 1 (and same for its brother "2") is that it is going faster than solar escape speed.



Translation: it is NOT in orbit around the Sun, it will escape the Solar system.



Because it is not going fast enough to reach Galactic escape speed, it will remain in orbit around the Galaxy, with an orbital period of around 200 million years.

Answer 5

The Voyagers are NOT in orbit. They will continue sending data back to Earth for as long as they are able to transmit radio waves back to Earth. The radioactive fuel will not run out. The Voyagers are now just coasting on inertial and momentum, for ever, or until they impact something or are picked up by something or some one, which might be us some time in the future. Watch the first Star Trek MOVIE. Next time you use your cell phone, really LOOK at it. That is a Star Trek communicator or PADD that is now science FACT.

Answer 6

Voyage 1 is NOT in Orbit. It is on a mission to leave the Solar System.

Answer 7

Voyager is not in orbit (unless you mean the super massive black hole at the center of the milkyway). It's going to enter interstellar space within the next 3 years or earlier.



Things in orbit don't go on a "voyage" they just orbit round and round.

Answer 8

Voyager 1 is leaving our solar system, and is in orbit in our galaxy forever.

Answer 9

enjoy