Passing Pluto
Voyager I has left the Solar System. After 36 years and 12 billion miles, it has
entered the domain known as interstellar space. As one of the
cornerstone projects of NASA, America should be extremely proud.
Think of all of the items that are bought and paid for with American Tax Dollars. Roads,
environmental cleanup, currency production, infrastructure – most of the
time no one gives these a second thought. But America and the scientists
of NASA used every bit of the accumulated knowledge and science of
mankind to build a device that was launched, tracked and has
successfully transmitted data back to its origin for over 36 years.
For the first time in human history, a man-made object has left the solar system. That
is mind-boggling. From the time humans first turned their attentions
skyward, they must have wondered how and when they would ever visit the
heavens. NASA was a product of our greatest generation. The race to the
moon and the astronauts of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo that got us there
may not have been fully appreciated at the time. But there is no doubt
that we’ve received a return on our investment.
Pictures returned by Hubble, results from experiments via the shuttle missions
and eyewitness accounts from those that have had the privilege of space
travel have fueled the dreams of tomorrow. In the mean time, the little
satellite known as Voyager will continue to do its job, as it travels
even further that anyone ever conceived.
Mark Schuster, Partner
September 16, 2013
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