Pokinator t1_je1yhwd wrote
Reply to comment by TheJeeronian in ELI5 How do scientists know probes (Like Voyager I) aren't going to get swept up in the orbit of another celestial body? by remorsefulDownfall
OP's question also brings to mind the story of the Curiosity Opportunity rover on mars.
It's original tenure was only supposed to be a 90 day mission on the surface, but through a combination of good construction and non-catastrophic conditions, it instead served for 14 years. It didn't stop until a harsh dust storm knocked out its ability to recharge.
Similarly, something like the Voyager is a combination of "let's get it as far as we can" and "let's see how far it will go". With enough computation and simulation, a path can be plotted out of our star system so that it doesn't hit Pluto and crash. However the farther it goes, the more Chaotic Entropy comes into play. We can project paths of celestial bodies, but longer predictions bring on more deviations until it stops being viable.
Once Voyager cleared the system, it was reasonable to say "alright, we've set it up as best we can, let's see where it goes" and keep collecting data as long as it transmits
arcosapphire t1_je2201g wrote
> OP's question also brings to mind the story of the Curiosity rover on mars.
> It's original tenure was only supposed to be a 90 day mission on the surface, but through a combination of good construction and non-catastrophic conditions, it instead served for 14 years. It didn't stop until a harsh dust storm knocked out its ability to recharge.
You're referring to Opportunity, not Curiosity. Curiosity was activated under 11 years ago, is still operational, and doesn't recharge because it uses an RTG.
Opportunity was deployed for 14 years and relied on solar power.
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