Voyager reaches the outer limits of the solar system

Since its launch on September 5, 1977, Voyager 1 has traveled more than 10.8 billion miles. During its time in space, the craft has sent back images of spectacular and iconic images of our solar system's planets and moons, as well as of the Earth.

Numbers aside, Voyager 2 actually took off about a month earlier than Voyager 1. That extra time was valuable for Voyager 1, whose takeoff was delayed twice. The craft was able to learn from Voyager 2's problems and it registered a flawless launch. Voyager 1 reached Jupiter first, on March 5, 1979, and then went on to Saturn on November 12, 1980.

Images courtesy NASA