On this day in 1977, Voyager 2 was launched! The probe’s main mission was to study the outer planets and then study interstellar space beyond the heliosphere. It was able to visit the four outer planets due to their periodic alignment in the late 1970s and reached Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in 1979, 1981, 1986, and 1989, respectively. It remains the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus and Neptune (which is sad…the ice giants need more attention!).

It also carries one of the two Voyager Golden Records, which act as time capsules and are designed to be studied by any intelligent extraterrestrial life that may encounter them.

Also, slightly related (and I’m mentioning it here because I saw it on Tumblr today), here is a painting by Rick Guidice that visualizes a Pioneer probe doing a slingshot move using Jupiter’s gravity and if you say this isn’t the coolest freaking thing you’ve ever seen then you’d be WRONG.