Splice1138 t1_je22ast wrote
Reply to comment by remorsefulDownfall 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
For the planets, absolutely. The Voyager probes actually relied on planetary flybys to get a "gravity assist" to slingshot them out of the solar system. Lots of calculations involved to make that happen right.
Beyond that though, colliding with a random comet or asteroid is a) insanely improbable and b) impossible to account for if you don't know about them in the first place.
As for a running into another star system, it will take about 40,000 years for either Voyager probe to come within a couple light years of another star (but we do know which those will be)
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