Early Thursday, NASA announced that the Voyager 1 probe has been confirmed as leaving the reaches of the Solar System, and is now travelling in Interstellar Space.
After 36 years and 7 days, human creation has finally left the cradle of our solar system. Could this be just the spark America and indeed, the nations of Earth need to jump-start our interest in joining together to accomplish a larger goal for ourselves, and maybe begin a new, 21st century space race, With well over a decade of life expectancy, the craft continues to operate healthy, and takes ten hours from Tx time to Rx time with the Deep Space Array. Now that we’re literally in uncharted waters… what will Voyager continue to teach us?
Sitting in my Asian Politics class at Eastern Michigan University, I read the news… and realized that this was a moment in our history analogous to Columbus discovering the new world… or Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.
Our creation is finally “out there.” Go, Starship Voyager.
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The Universe According To Samuel Cummings 
At no point during NASA’s press conference did they say we’ve left the solar system. There are still different phenomena that needs to happen before they can say that definitively. Voyager 1 has entered the Oort cloud and is flying in interstellar space but HAS NOT left the solar system. If you don’t believe me take it from them: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1m9wke/were_scientists_and_engineers_on_nasas_voyager/cc75u1h
Don’t feel bad, CNN and BBC and a lot of other places were reporting this too. It’s simply not true…yet.
At no point during NASA’s press conference did they say we’ve left the solar system. There are still different phenomena that needs to happen before they can say that definitively. Voyager 1 has entered the Oort cloud and is flying in interstellar space but HAS NOT left the solar system. If you don’t believe me take it from them: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1m9wke/were_scientists_and_engineers_on_nasas_voyager/cc75u1h
Don’t feel bad, CNN and BBC and a lot of other places were reporting this too. It’s simply not true…yet.
Please delete my first comment. I reposted so I could subscribe to follow-up comments. Thanks.
No problem, I know how that goes. Haha
Well, one of the big debates, as it sits is “Does the Solar System end at the Heiliosheath” or “Does it end in the Oort Cloud?” One of the issues there, too is, the Oort Cloud extends almost 1/4 of the way to Proxima Centauri… so… where does the Solar System itself actually “end”?
This should be an interesting debate among scientists!