The Grand Tour Of All Four Jovians Was Conducted By
When it comes to the outer planets of our solar system, they are commonly known as the Jovian planets. Four giant gas planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which are all larger than Earth, make up the Jovian planets. A curious fact is that all four Jovians were explored during the Grand Tour conducted by Voyager 2 spacecraft.
The History Behind The Grand Tour
The Grand Tour is an immensely significant event in space exploration. The Grand Tour is a term that refers to a mission conducted by NASA that was launched in 1977. The purpose of the mission was to explore our solar system, and the exploration was conducted through the use of two robotic spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The mission aimed to send both vehicles to the outer solar system.
The Grand Tour idea originated because of a rare alignment of the planets in 1977 that only occurs once every 175 years. This alignment allowed the two spacecraft to visit all four of the Jovian planets without the need for any gravitational boosts.
The electric power was running low on the spacecraft, but they continued to transmit data until their signals were eventually lost. By 1990, both spacecraft had travelled beyond the limits of our solar system, and their signals had become too faint to be detected.
The Exploration of Jovian Planets by Voyager 2
The spacecraft was launched in 1977 and began its tour of the outer solar system, reaching Jupiter in 1979. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and was the first destination of the Grand Tour. It took the spacecraft around five months to reach Jupiter.
During the exploration, Voyager 2 discovered that Jupiter had an intricate system of moons, with the four largest moons now known as the galilean moons, and one of them, Europa, having a subsurface ocean that may have conditions suitable for life.
After Jupiter, Saturn was the second destination of the Grand Tour, and it took Voyager 2 another two years to reach the planet. Saturn is famous for its ring system, and the spacecraft captured stunning images of the rings from close up.
Voyager 2 discovered that Saturn's atmosphere is mostly made up of hydrogen and helium, and the planet has the second most extensive moon system in the solar system, with at least 82 moons.
The third destination of the Grand Tour was Uranus, which was discovered entirely by accident in 1781 by William Herschel. Voyager 2 reached Uranus in 1986, and the spacecraft discovered that Uranus had a tilted axis of rotation, unlike the other planets in our solar system.
Voyager 2 also discovered that Uranus's atmosphere is very cold, with temperatures dropping to -371°F. The planet has 27 known moons, including five major ones.
Finally, the Grand Tour concluded with a visit to Neptune in 1989. Neptune is the farthest of the Jovian planets from the sun, and Voyager 2 took around 12 years to reach it.
Voyager 2 discovered that Neptune has a magnetic field, and it is also the windiest planet in our solar system, with winds reaching up to 1,200 mph. The planet has 14 known moons.
Conclusion
The Grand Tour of all four Jovians conducted by Voyager 2 was an extraordinary event in space exploration history. The spacecraft provided valuable information about the planets, their atmospheres, ring systems, and moon systems. The Grand Tour made it possible for humans to explore and learn more about the outer planets of our solar system, and it will undoubtedly inspire future missions and explorations of our universe.
