The Voyager 1 spacecraft was launched in 1977. Its mission was to take flyby images of Jupiter in 1980 and Saturn in 1981. Its twin spacecraft Voyager 2 also took pictures of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Both spacecraft continued to travel out toward the edge of our solar system. Finally, Voyager 1 has reached the brink of interstellar space. It’s the first manmade object to leave our solar system. It has traveled for 27 years!

Voyager 1 may have reached the outer boundary of our solar system sending the first readings of a previously unknown area. Between August 1, 2002 and February 5, 2003, Voyager 1 sent back readings from its onboard instruments. Mission specialists had never seen anything like it before. Stamatios Krimigis of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory states “Voyager 1 is giving us our first taste of interstellar space.” He also noted “This is our first direct look at the incredibly dynamic activity at the solar system’s edge.” He explains the readings showed a large increase in energetic particles, indicating a plunge, or drop, in solar wind speed. The drop in solar wind speed and the increase of energetic interstellar particles indicates the spacecraft is at or near the vague, unspecific edge of our solar system.