Voyager mission artwork depicting the Voyager spacecraft's trajectory...made in 1977.
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Courtesy of NASA

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Voyager mission homepage

Voyager to Take the Lead!
News story originally written on February 16, 1998

At approximately 5:00 p.m. EST on February 17, 1998, the Voyager 1 spacecraft will become the spacecraft that has traveled farthest away from the Earth. For 25 years, Pioneer 10 has been in the lead in this race.

When Voyager 1 becomes the most distant man-made object in space, it will be 6.5 billion kilometers from the Earth! It is nearing the edge of the solar system! Scientists are hoping that the spacecraft will reach the heliopause, where the Sun's influence stops. This would truly be where no spacecraft has gone before!

The Voyager spacecraft is expected to reach the heliopause by 2002.

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