“The Farthest: Voyager In Space” tells the amazing story of the ongoing NASA missions that sent a pair of probes through the solar system, collected amazing data, made astounding discoveries and changed much of what we know about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
All accomplished with the same technology that brought us the 1972 Chevy Vega.
OK, NASA had better technology than Chevrolet in the 1970s, but one of the things you’ll learn watching the PBS documentary “The Farthest — Voyager in Space” (Wednesday, 8 p.m., KUED-Ch. 7) is that rocket scientists putting together what would become one of man’s greatest scientific achievements went to the store and bought some aluminum foil to use to protect parts of the craft.
Remember, when they launched two probes through the solar system, visiting planets and moons before sailing into interstellar space, it was at a time when computers were room-sized instead of laptops and schools taught computer science with the use of IBM cards and No. 2 pencils.
If you’re old enough to remember IBM cards, you’ll probably have to explain it to your children. Maybe your grandchildren.
“At the time, the biggest computers in the world were comparable to the kinds of things we have in our pockets today,” Rich Terrile of Imaging Science says in the documentary. “And I’m not talking about a cellphone. I’m actually talking about a key fob.”
“The computer in your cellphone has 240,000 times more memory than Voyager,” Ed Stone, who has been Voyager’s chief scientist for 45 years, recently told TV critics.
And the space probes did share one bit of distinctly ’70s technology with (some) Vegas.
“Literally, an 8-track cassette is what held data when the spacecraft went behind planets,” said “Farthest” producer John Murray.
We’ve reached the 40th anniversary of the missions: Voyager 2 was launched on Aug. 20, 1977; Voyager 1 was launched 16 days later, on Sept. 5. (The documentary explains that there was a “technology freeze” in 1972, and that‘s why 2 went up before 1.) And, while “Farthest” is filled with talking heads recounting the mission — including several who were part of the NASA team — it’s a thrilling story. There are twists and turns, near-disasters to be averted and a continual sense of wonder about what the two Voyagers transmitted back to Earth.
Then-President Richard Nixon only OK’d funding for journeys to Jupiter, but the NASA scientists worked out ways to extend the Voyagers’ journeys without spending extra money — and without telling Nixon.
“There was a little bit of subversiveness in there,” said Carolyn Porco, a Voyager imaging scientist and the imaging team leader on the later Cassini probe to Saturn.
The NASA team had to calculate trajectories so that Voyager 1 would make it to Jupiter and on to Saturn. Having accomplished its goals, it then headed toward interstellar space.
And after Voyager 1 succeeded at Jupiter and Neptune, Voyager 2 slingshotted around Jupiter to Saturn; around Saturn to Neptune; around Neptune to Uranus; and it will soon join Voyager 1 in interstellar space, where it’s hoped it can send back direct measurements of interstellar plasma.
Remember, officially the two Voyagers were only supposed to go to Jupiter.
“We always had an interstellar component as part of our goal, but none of us knew how far it was to interstellar space,” Stone said. “And none of us knew that a spacecraft could last 40 years. When Voyager was launched, the Space Age itself was 20 years old.”
Amazing.
Scott D. Pierce covers television for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.