Voyager 2 Loses Contact with Earth, But Hope Remains

Voyager 2, one of the most iconic spacecraft in history, lost contact with Earth on July 21, 2023. This was due to a series of planned commands that inadvertently caused the spacecraft to point its antenna away from Earth. As a result, the stream of data from Voyager 2 is bounding off into space instead of linking up with the Deep Space Network.

The loss of contact with Voyager 2 is a temporary setback, but NASA is confident that it will be able to re-establish contact with the spacecraft in October. Voyager 2 is programmed to reset its orientation several times a year to keep the antenna pointed toward Earth. The next reset is scheduled for October 15, 2023. If all goes well, NASA will be able to re-establish contact with the spacecraft at that time.

In the meantime, Voyager 2 is continuing on its journey through interstellar space. It is currently about 12.3 billion miles (19.7 billion kilometers) from Earth and traveling at a speed of about 38,000 miles per hour (61,000 kilometers per hour). It is expected to continue operating for many years to come.

Sir Arthur C Clarke: Visionary Author and Scientist

Arthur C Clarke was a British science fiction author, science writer, and futurist who is best known for his works of hard science fiction and his predictions about the future of technology. He was also a pioneer in the field of satellite communications and is credited with first proposing the idea of using satellites to relay radio and television signals around the world.

Sci-fi fans gather to remember the man who saw the future

A long, long way from the last resting place of the one who showed them the light, the faithful are gathering. As Arthur C Clarke is buried in his adopted home of Sri Lanka today, those who followed his words are meeting and remembering – at Heathrow.

And these being fans of science fiction, they come in all shapes and sizes. They come as Klingons. They come as Daleks. They come to celebrate a genre that has produced a group of followers that are as strange as some of the storylines.

Every year they gather to discuss what is new in the world beyond our own. But Orbital 2008, Britain's 59th annual National Science Fiction Convention, which started yesterday, is dominated by the death of Clarke last week. And that has meant a hastily re-arranged programme to celebrate the legendary figure's achievements with a series of talks and lectures.

Geostationary Satellite Communications - The 1945 Proposal by Arthur C Clarke

The 1945 Proposal by Arthur C Clarke

Sir Arthur C. Clarke's most famous prediction on the future is his proposal of geostationary satellite communications published in the Wireless World magazine in 1945. Not considered seriously at the time it became a reality within 20 years with the launching on 1965 April 6th of Intelsat I Early Bird the first commercial geostationary communication satellite.

A satellite in an equatorial circular orbit at a distance of approximately 42,164 km from the center of the Earth, i.e., approximately 35,787 km (22,237 miles) above mean sea level has a period equal to the Earth's rotation on its axis (Sidereal Day=23h56m) and would remain geostationary over the same point on the Earth's equator. In 2002 the Clarke Orbit had over 300 satellites.