Image Source: Wikimedia
Launched in 1977, the spacecraft Voyager 1 is considered one of the greatest spacecraft ever built. Its original purpose was to collect data on Jupiter and Saturn, and its mission was to last only a few years. Voyager 1 accomplished all of that and so much more.
In the 1980s, Voyager 1 flew past both Jupiter and Saturn and provided the first close-up photographs of both planets and their many moons. The information contained in these images has been used by scientists to enhance their understanding of the outer regions of the solar system.
Nearly 49 years after its launch, Voyager 1 is still functioning and continuously sends signals back to Earth using the Deep Space Network; however, the radio signals take more than 23 hours to reach us because of our vast distance from the spacecraft. Voyager's power supply is a radioisotope thermoelectric generator that has been slowly depleting in power, forcing NASA to turn off various instruments to conserve power.
The reason that Voyager 1 has survived so long is due to the exceptional and dependable engineering of the 1970s, along with its simplistic systems and a design focused on longevity rather than detailed, complex features. Although long past its expected lifespan, Voyager continues sending data back to Earth from its journey through the outer solar system and now in interstellar space, but at reduced frequency and quantity. It has been in interstellar space for over 14 years since crossing the heliosphere in 2012.
Voyager 1 is carrying a golden-plated disc that contains sounds, music, different languages for greetings and pictures showing life on Earth for any extraterrestrial beings that may discover it.
References
Wikimedia Foundation. (n.d.). Voyager 1. Wikipedia. Link