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The first human-made object to venture into interstellar space is Voyager 1, a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977. Its primary mission was to study the outer planets of our solar system, including Jupiter and Saturn, and then continue its journey outward toward the edge of the solar system. Voyager 1 achieved this historic milestone on August 25, 2012, when it crossed the heliopause, the boundary where the Sun’s solar wind is no longer dominant, entering the interstellar medium—the space between stars filled with plasma, dust, and cosmic rays.
Key facts about Voyager 1:
Distance from Earth: As of now, it is over 24 billion kilometers (15 billion miles) away, making it the most distant spacecraft ever launched by humans.
Mission duration: Originally planned for 5 years, Voyager 1 has operated for over four decades, still sending valuable data to scientists.
Golden Record: The spacecraft carries a golden phonograph record, containing sounds and images representing life on Earth, intended as a message to any extraterrestrial intelligence that may find it.
Scientific contributions: Voyager 1 provided detailed images and data on Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, Saturn’s rings, and several of their moons, before embarking on its interstellar journey.
Other options explained:
Apollo 1 and Apollo II: These were crewed missions aimed at lunar exploration, not interstellar space.
Sputnik: The first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, which only orbited Earth.
Voyager 1 is unique because it is beyond the influence of the Sun's magnetic field and solar wind, marking humanity’s first step into the vast interstellar space.
The correct answer is Option D: Voyager 1, the only spacecraft so far confirmed to have entered interstellar space, representing a monumental achievement in space exploration.
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