The Voyager Spacecraft program, initially launched in Sept. 1977, recently left the solar system. This is the first human made product ever to leave the heliosphere.

The Voyager 1 of NASA’s Voyager Spacecraft program was recorded to have left our solar system as of Thursday, Sept. 12. It is recorded to be 11.7 billion miles from Earth.

Many people think that the Voyager Space Program is an important piece to understanding our solar system.

Astronomy teacher Jeff Ranta said, “Programs like the Voyager are crucial if we are ever going to explore the solar system. Without systems like the Voyager we wouldn’t even begin to understand our outer planets.”

Programs such as the Voyager have been questioned many times. People wonder if the risk is worth the reward.

Ranta said, “The shuttle is a very necessary and important step if we are ever going to send humans beyond this planet. Now with the space shuttle program over, NASA will continue to spend most of it’s funding with unmanned space probes, rovers, and satellites, and I believe that is the right decision. We can learn just as much science without the added expense of sending a person.”

Some people doubt that the Voyager 1 will find any useful data now that it has left the heliosphere.

“Most of the work of the Voyager is over and there will not be much time spent to collect data anymore from the Voyager. It will be very interesting if it is still transmitting data when it starts picking up information from another star, but I doubt that will ever happen,” added Ranta.

Many Americans are still uninformed of the Voyager spacecraft program, but became impressed when informed of  its achievements.

Junior Kyrstin Myhers said, “I don’t really know much about it, but I guess that’s pretty impressive. Like it’s kinda crazy to think that we sent that shuttle out in the 70s and it has come this far.”

Not all students think that the Voyager and NASA are worthy causes to invest money in.

“There are more important things the government could be devoting their time and money to,” said junior Jessy Nelson.

The Voyager 2 is planned to leave the heliosphere in about three to four years. This spacecraft is most likely going

to send a clearer signal back to Earth than the Voyager 1.