Voyager: To the Final Frontier
Documentary telling the story of the Voyager space mission, as the two spacecraft leave the area of the sun's influence after 35 years and 11 billion miles.
This is the story of the most extraordinary journey in human exploration, the Voyager space mission. In 1977 two unmanned spacecraft were launched by NASA, heading for distant worlds. It would be the first time any man-made object would ever visit the farthest planets of the solar system - Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. On the way the Voyagers would be bombarded by space dust, fried by radiation and discover many of the remarkable wonders of the solar system.
Now, at the end of 2012, 35 years and 11 billion miles later, they are leaving the area of the sun's influence. As they journey out into the galaxy beyond they carry a message from Earth, a golden record bolted to the side of each craft describing our civilisation in case of discovery by another. This is the definitive account of the most intrepid explorers in Earth's history.
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Clips
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Voyager tweets
Duration: 00:45
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The builders of Voyager
Duration: 00:55
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Grand Tour sling shot demo
Duration: 00:24
The Golden Record
The only two copies ever made are bolted to Voyagers 1 and 2, but you can listen to their sounds and messages online, including greetings from the people of Earth in 55 languages.
Jupiter
Voyager 1 peers into Jupiter's Great Red Spot on 25 February 1979.
Saturn
Saturn and its rings snapped by Voyager 2 on 21 July 1981.
Uranus
Voyager 2 took this parting shot of the crescent Uranus on 25 January 1986.
Big Science Season
Voyager: To the Final Frontier is part of the BBC Four Big Science Season. Discover the other programmes in the season below…
Seven Ages of Starlight: A "stunning journey" through the life and times of stars.
Order and Disorder: A two-part series presented by Professor Jim Al-Khalili which tells the story of how humanity mastered the two most important concepts of the modern age - energy and information.
The Final Frontier? A Horizon Guide to the Universe: An in-depth look at science's quest to understand the mysteries of the Universe.
Tails You Win: The Science of Chance: Professor David Spiegelhalter tries to pin down what chance is, revealing how it works in the real world.
Neptune
Voyager 2 made its closest approach to this beautiful blue planet on 25 August 1989.
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Producer | Chris Riley |
| Director | Chris Riley |
| Executive Producer | Mark Hedgecoe |
Broadcasts
- Wed 24 Oct 201221:00
- Thu 25 Oct 201202:25
- Sat 27 Oct 201222:55
Sun 28 Oct 201220:00BBC HD- Sat 10 Nov 201222:45BBC HD
- Sat 8 Dec 201223:30
- Thu 28 Feb 201320:00
- Tue 4 Jun 201321:00
- Tue 24 Jun 201421:00
- Wed 25 Jun 201401:50
- Thu 2 Oct 201421:00
- Wed 15 Oct 201400:30
- Wed 21 Jan 201522:00
- Sun 12 Apr 201520:00
- Mon 13 Apr 201502:30
- Tue 14 Apr 201523:00
- Wed 14 Sep 201623:00
- Mon 19 Sep 201600:30
- Mon 19 Jun 201701:00
- Sun 14 Jan 201820:00
- Mon 15 Jan 201803:00
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Space on BBC Four
Programmes about space travel, our Solar System and the Universe.
