Voyager 2 facts for kids

Voyager 2
	; A NASA artist's rendition of a Voyager spacecraft
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Voyager 2 is a spacecraft used by NASA to explore Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It has currently been the only spacecraft to travel to Uranus and Neptune. Because of this, a majority of pictures we see of these two planets came from this spacecraft. It was identical in form to its sister ship, Voyager 1. The probe is currently moving away from the solar system, and is heading out into deep space.

Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977.

Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 include the Voyager Golden Record, which is a recording of sounds and images of life on earth. It was designed by a team headed by Carl Sagan to communicate with extraterrestrial life.

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Simulated view of the position of Voyager 2 as of February 8, 2012 showing spacecraft trajectory since launch
The current position of Voyagers as of early 2013. Note the vast distances condensed into an exponential scale: Earth is 1 astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun; Saturn is nine times further out, and the Heliopause is more than 100 times further out than Earth. Neptune is 30.1 AU from the Sun; thus the edge of interstellar space is more than three times further out than the last planet.
Voyager Golden Record
RTG diagram 1
RTG diagram 1
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Voyager 2 launch on August 20, 1977 with a Titan IIIE/Centaur.

Voyager 2
A NASA artist's rendition of a Voyager spacecraft
Organization:	NASA
Mission type:	Fly-by
Flyby of:	Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Launch date:	August 20, 1977
Launch vehicle:	Titan III-E Centaur rocket
NSSDC ID:	1977-076A
Webpage:	NASA Voyager website
Mass:	721.9 kg
Power:	420 W
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