please fellow forum members how would you contribute to this ?



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Wikipedia article, artificial objects in solar system escape (hyperbolic) orbits

For 20 years or more I have been interested in the final fate of human created objects launched into solar system escape orbits. Much is known about this as can be gleaned from AIAA[1] astrodynamics conferences papers. Some thought was put into this with the pioneer and voyager projects to place human artifacts aboard pioneer 10 and 11[2] and also voyager’s 1 and 2[3].indeed this concept of future anthropology/ archeology has made its way into science fiction as in star trek the motion picture. My concern is if this act of sending objects one way into the universe is an important and it is important to say something of our selves then why ignore the other objects we have sent into the galaxy? What am I referring to you may ask? Look closely at those AIAA astrodynamics conference papers from the 1970’s and 1980’s as the space craft in question soon after launch performed there TCM -1’s (first course correction maneuvers) you will notice that the STAR solid fueled upper stage motor had a trajectory very close to that of the science payload itself and it appears that the star motor in the case of pioneer 10 and voyager 1 and 2 also entered the B plane of Jupiter and also entered the solar system escape ellipse. Pioneer 11 had an initial injection aim point error large enough to placing it on a trajectory in front of Jupiter in a orbit much like that of the space craft Ulysses, indeed the solid upper stage of Ulysses is most likely like pioneer 11 in a very large solar orbit inclined to the south of the ecliptic. So there are

Pioneer 10, first object to leave the solar system Pioneer 10 star motor, second object to leave the solar system Pioneer 11, third object to leave solar system Voyager 1, fourth object to leave solar system Voyager 1 star upper stage, Fifth object to leave solar system Voyager 2, Voyager 2 star upper stage, New horizons Pluto probe, New horizons star upper stage.


So there are 9 objects created by human kind in solar system escape orbits. Only 5 of them carry cultural messages from us to our future selves or any sentient being who may encounter them.

The star motors carry data plates (?)

Some argue that messages (light weight of course) should be on all of our upper stages and space craft heading out into the universe. The new horizons web sight states that some unannounced artifacts where indeed placed aboard that space craft.