Tuesday, May 16, 2000

Voyager 1

 1977-084A


Voyager SC2, originally due for launch first on the Voyager 2 mission, had to undergo last minute repairs and flew instead as Voyager 1 (VGR-1). SC1 was returned to JPL, and SC3 replaced SC2 as the first to be launched. SC2 was originally MJS-2 or MJS-K and then VGR77-2.

Voyager 1 was launched at 1256 on 1977 Sep 5 by Titan IIIE Centaur from Cape Canaveral's LC41. The Centaur stage entered solar orbit, and then the Star 37E kick motor accelerated Voyager 2 onto a Jupiter intercept trajectory with an aphelion of 9.0AU. Two TCMs were made in September, followed by TCM3 on Oct 29. Voyager 1 passed Voyager 2 on Dec 15. Problems with a stuck scan platform on 1978 Feb 21 were resolved during March, and on 1978 Dec 10-11 a test of the instruments for Jupiter encounter was carried out.

The Jupiter Observatory Phase began on 1979 Jan 4. Far Encounter lasted from Feb 3 to April, with Voyager passing the orbit of Sinope inbound on Feb 10, crossing the Jovian bow shock for the first time on Feb 28, and beginning the near encounter phase on Mar 5. A TCM in Apr 1979 set course for Saturn. Another TCM on Dec 13 caused a temporary loss of communications.

The Saturn observatory phase began on 1980 Aug 22, with TCM 8 on 1980 Oct 10. Far Encounter 1 phase was from Oct 24 to Nov 2, and Far Encounter 2 from Nov 2 to Nov 11, which included TCM 9 on Nov 7 and the bow shock crossing on Nov 11. At 0540:41 on Nov 12 Voyager 1 passed 6969 km from Titan. It was occulted by Titan from 0547 to 0559. At 2215:52 it passed 415855 km from Tethys; Saturn closest approach was 184497 km at 2345:50 on 1980 Nov 12. Mimas was next, at 88996 km at 0142:32 on 1980 Nov 13, followed by Enceladus at 202796 km at 0150. Meanwhile Voyager was occulted by Saturn from 0143 to 0310, and by the rings from 0319 to 0335. Dione went past at a distance of 161285 km at 0339 on Nov 13, Rhea 72797 km at 0621, and finally Hyperion at 879277 km at 1644 UT on Nov 13.

On 1990 Jan 1 Voyager 1 was considered to have begun the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM). On 1990 Feb 14, at a distance of 5h 36min from Earth, the camera system was reactivated for a portrait of the planets of the solar system. At 0830 on 1992 Oct 9, Voyager 1 passed the 50 AU mark from the Sun.

On 1998 Feb 17 Voyager 1's geocentric distance exceeded that of Pioneer 10, at 70 AU. On 1999 Feb 1 VGR-1 was at 10hr from Earth.


VGR-1 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1977 Sep 5  1256:01  Launch by TC 
  T+1:50 SRM cutoff 
  T+1:51 St 1 burn 
  T+2:02 SRM sep 
  T+4:20 St 1 MECO 
  T+4:20 St 1 sep, St 2 MES 
  T+4:31 CSS jettison 
  T+7:50 St 2 MECO 
  T+7:56 St 2 sep 
  T+8:06 TC MES-1  
 1305:33 T+9:32 TC MECO-1  167 x 167 x 28.5 
 1349:57 T+53:56 TC MES-2 
 1354:56 T+59:46 TC MECO-2  198 x -28840 x 28.51 
 1358:37 T+1:02:36 TC sep 
  T+1:02:38 TC avoidance 
  T+1:02:51 PM burn 45s 
 1359:36 T+1:03:36 PM burnout  327 x -20658 x 28.51 
 1410:05 T+1:14:53 PM sep 
  Centaur mission complete T+2:02:46 
 1410?  RTG deploy 
 1410?  Scan platform deploy 
 1748  VGR pass EL1:4 
 1912  Centaur pass EL1:4 
1977 Sep 6  1430  VGR leave Earth SOI at Vinf = 10.26 km/s 
1977 Sep 7 0100 Centaur Solar orbit (929k), Vinf = 7.08 km/s  1.01 x 3.36? x 0.8? 
 0610  VGR leave Earth sphere (L1) 
 2330? Centaur leave Earth sphere (L1) 
1977 Sep 11  TCM A-1A 
1977 Sep 13  TCM A-1B 
1977 Sep 13   IRIS dust cover deploy 
1977 Sep 18   11.6 Mkm from Earth 
1977 Oct 29   TCM A-2 
1977 Dec 15   Passes VGR-2 
1978 Feb 21   Scan platform sticks 
1978 Mar   Scan platform free 
1978 Dec 10   Encounter rehearsal 
1979 Jan 4   Jupiter Observatory Phase 
1979 Jan 12  1300?  Jupiter sphere (51.9Mkm) 
1979 Jan 14   48M km from Jupiter 
1979 Feb 3   Jupiter Far Encounter 
1979 Feb 10   Sinope orbit inbound 
1979 Feb 21?  TCM A-4? 
1979 Feb 28   First magnetopause crossing 
1979 Mar 5   Jupiter Near Encounter 
 0900? Amalthea 420200 km C/A 
1979 Mar 5  1205 Perijove 277000 km (348890 km C/A) 
1979 Mar 5  1547  Io 20570 km C/A 
1979 Mar 5  1700? Europa 733760 km C/A 
1979 Mar 6  0253 Ganymede 114710 km C/A 
1979 Mar 6  1750  Callisto 126400 km C/A 
1979 Mar 6   End Jupiter Near Encounter 
1979 Apr   End Jupiter Far Encounter 
1979 Apr 9   TCM-6? 
1979 Apr 26  1100?  51M km out, exit Jupiter sphere 
1979 Dec 13   TCM-7? 
1980 Aug 22   Saturn Observatory Phase 109Mkm 
1980 Sep 25  0500? 64.5km inbound (S Sphere in) 
1980 Oct 2   55 Mkm inbound 
1980 Oct 10   TCM-8 2m/s, Titan avoidance 
1980 Oct 24   Saturn Far Encounter 1 
1980 Nov 2   Saturn Far Encounter 2  
1980 Nov 7   TCM-9 
1980 Nov 11   Bow shock crossing 
1980 Nov 11   Saturn Near Encounter 
1980 Nov 12  0540:41  Titan 6969 km C/A 4394 km peri (or 3915 km, JGR) 
 0547  Titan occultation 
 0559  Out of occultation 
 2215:52  Tethys, 415670 km 
  Helene, 230000 km C/A 
1980 Nov 12  2300?  Atlas, 219000 km C/A 
  Pandora, 270000 km C/A 
  Prometheus, 300000 km C/A 
  Epimetheus, 121000 km C/A 
  Janus, 297000 km C/A 
 2345:50  Saturn, 124229 km  
1980 Nov 13  0142:32  Mimas, 88440 km C/A 
 0143  Saturn occ. 
 0150  Enceladus, 202040 km CA 
 0310  End Saturn occ. 
 0319  Ring occ. 
 0335  End ring occ. 
 0339  Dione, 161520 km CA 
 0621  Rhea, 73980 km CA 
 1644  Hyperion 880440 km CA 
1980 Nov 14  1900?  Iapetus 2.47Mkm 
1980 Dec 28   55 Mkm outbound 
1980 Dec 31  1830?  64.5M outbound (S Sphere out) 
1990 Jan 1   Begin Voyager Interstellar Mission 
1990 Feb 14  Solar system portrait 
1992 Oct 9  0830  At 50 AU 
2004 Dec   First helioshock pass at 94 AU  
2006 Aug 14 2113  At 100 AU 

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