Question 1

True or false: Voyager 1 has left the Milky Way galaxy.

Accepted Answer

False. It has only exited our solar system's heliosphere. It would take tens of thousands of years to reach even the nearest star system.

Question 2

True or false: Voyager 1 discovered active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1979, Voyager 1 revealed the first active volcanoes beyond Earth on Io, shocking scientists with its extreme geology.

Question 3

True or false: Voyager 1 carries a Golden Record containing sounds of Earth, including a baby's cry.

Accepted Answer

True. The Golden Record includes natural sounds, music, and greetings—and yes, a baby's cry is on it to represent human life.

Question 4

True or false: Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2012, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause and entered interstellar space, making it the first human-made object to do so.

Question 5

True or false: Voyager 1 is the fastest human-made object ever launched from Earth.

Accepted Answer

False. While fast, Voyager 1 is not the fastest. The Parker Solar Probe holds that record, reaching speeds over 430,000 mph.

Question 6

True or false: Voyager 1's power source will run out completely by 2025.

Accepted Answer

False. Its plutonium power source is expected to keep some instruments running until around 2025, but it won't be completely dead—it will just stop powering science tools.

Question 7

True or false: Voyager 1 sent back the first close-up images of Neptune.

Accepted Answer

False. Voyager 2, not Voyager 1, flew by Neptune in 1989. Voyager 1 took a different trajectory after Saturn.

Question 8

True or false: Voyager 1 still communicates with Earth using 1970s-era computer technology.

Accepted Answer

True. Its computers have just 69 kilobytes of memory, and it transmits data via a 23-watt radio—about the power of a refrigerator light bulb.

Voyager 1 Trivia Questions