Voyager 1 launches on a faster course

The spacecraft took its name from the mathematician and astronomer whose work was studied in the earlier astronomy batch.

Despite its number, Voyager 2 departed before Voyager 1, beginning its journey to the outer planets.

Voyager 2 took a path that would later permit encounters with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

The spacecraft carried cameras and instruments to study planets, moons and their environments.

The probe’s record carried images and sounds selected to represent life and culture on Earth.

Voyager 1 began a mission designed to return images and measurements of distant giant planets.

Its record presented sounds and images from Earth to any future finders of the spacecraft.

The 5 September launch completed the pair’s departure for outer-planet exploration.

Researchers compared thousands of dated observations with modern orbital calculations to study long-term changes in Earth's rotation.

A mismatch between predicted and recorded eclipse paths reveals accumulated changes in the length of the day.