Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are, in my opinion, the epitome of our ability to communicate. These tiny spacecraft were launched in 1977 and STILL are transmitting to Earth, even though they long ago left the solar system. The pictures they sent back (just Google Voyager spacecraft pictures) were truly astounding, and their pictures taught us more about our outer solar system than we had ever learned before. Because they exemplify so well what we'll be talking about throughout this class, I highly recommend that you view this video.

I have a copy of this video which you may check out; another copy is available at the Media Center in the HBLL.