Voyager 1

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/voyager-1

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the spacecraft designation?Voyager 1
2. What is the launch date?September 5, 1977
3. Why did Voyager 1 visit Jupiter and Saturn?Scientists wanted to learn about the giant planets' atmospheres and magnetic fields. The missions also tested Voyager 1's instruments before it went farther out. The data helped scientists understand gas giants better.
4. How did Voyager 1 enter interstellar space?On August 25, 2012, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause, the boundary where the Sun’s wind stops and the interstellar medium begins. This gradual crossing marked its first entry into space beyond the Sun’s influence.

Interstellar Medium (ISM): The diffuse matter and radiation filling the space between stars within a galaxy.
Heliosphere: The vast magnetic bubble encompassing the Sun and its planets, formed by the solar wind.
Heliopause: The outer boundary of the heliosphere where the solar wind pressure is counterbalanced by interstellar pressure.
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG): A power-generating device that converts heat from radioactive decay into electricity.