The Farthest (2017) User Reviews

The incredible adventure...

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 24 June 2017]

With all the horrors and depressing events going on currently in the world, it is refreshing to be reminded of a human endeavour that was wholly positive in outlook and execution. The Farthest is the story of the two Voyager space crafts which were launched way back in 1977. These probes were tasked with two objectives - to explore the outer planets and to carry messages to other potential life forms deep into interstellar space. At one point in the late 70's it became possible for this mission to be achievable, a time which occurs approximately once every 175 years where Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are aligned in such a way as to allow a space craft to travel between them using the gravity of one to propel it onto the next. This window of opportunity was grabbed and NASA formulated the Voyager programme, with Voyager 1 navigating the first two giant planets and Voyager 2 following behind but adding the final two to its trajectory.

Its genuinely quite an incredible story. Especially when you remind yourself that this extremely complex, technical and frankly unprecedented undertaking was achieved using mid 70's technology. In 2012 Voyager 1 became the first man-made object to leave our solar system and reach interstellar space, having orbited all four of the giant planets taking a series of incredible pictures of them and their moons. It achieved this with computer memory a tiny fraction of what can be found in a modern smart phone. Its bordering on a miracle that this mission was accomplished, especially when you learn that certain moments were executed with split-second accuracy, a fracture of a second more would have led to destruction, such as the moment where the probe was propelled between the atmosphere of Uranus and one of its moons. It's all the more impressive when you discover that the probes were re-programmable via communication with a craft which was over a billion miles away. It was in summary one of the greatest undertakings humans have ever executed.

The documentary takes a fairly traditional talking heads format where we hear recollections of various scientists involved in the programme. Its these moments themselves which add a considerable amount of emotional weight to proceedings, making it clear that these space probes were ultimately far more than scientific equipment, they represented something far more and quite wonderful. It's not just the scientific angle of the mission but also the philosophical, such as the moment late in the mission that the cameras were reversed to look back at Earth which was now a pixel, making it clear how small we are in the universe while simultaneously making us realise that we need to look after our small planet as this little dot on a picture is all we have. There is some considerable detail given to the golden record, which contains the music, sounds and imagery of Earth. The music ranged from Mozart to Chuck Berry (with The Beatles foolishly refusing one of their songs), the imagery constitutes about one hundred pictures which attempted to convey the world as much as possible. This alien contact element of the mission was unsurprisingly given a lot of publicity at the time but it is only now that the probe has finally left our solar system that this has become the whole mission. But really, the imagery of the four mysterious giant planets is the real pinnacle of the Voyager missions and the incredible imagery that it captured remains quite extraordinary. These probes will more than likely hurtle onwards through deep space at 10 miles per second for billions of years long after our planet and sun are gone, and that says it all really.

A bit long, but worth it

[siderite · 8/10 · 21 December 2017]

The Voyager mission is one of the most interesting in of all NASA. Two spacecraft which have been functioning since their launch in 1977, the year I was born, are still sending data as they race outside of the Solar System. This film is telling the story of the mission and the people that worked in it and how important this mission was for the knowledge and identity of our species. The quote that stuck in my mind was "We've gotten away with it!", said by one scientist as he described his enthusiasm of the launch. I mean, here are these super smart people, planning ahead for decades one of the first and few real spacecrafts we humans have ever built, and what they feel is that they slipped it under the nose of their government and nation and species. I loved every one of the scientists that contributed to the show, their youthful enthusiasm so contrasting with their advanced ages, revealing the light in their hearts.

The film was a bit too long, at two hours, and maybe it would have been more powerful as a mini-series instead. It goes through the excitement when it first reaches Jupiter, then Saturn, then the bitter sweet moment when Voyager 2 reaches Uranus at the same time that Challenger explodes and finally Neptune. Another quote was about how small color dots from the Earth telescopes turn into worlds when Voyager goes past the planets.

I love all of these documentaries, which show who worked passionately to make things like these happen, to truly further humanity against all odds and against its mostly indifferent members, shows that really show the worlds around us and expand our horizons. If you love space, you should see this.

Wow. Inspiring, brilliant documentary

[uberdonkey6 · 9/10 · 21 February 2019]

I'm a scientist and used to love astronomy. After watching this film it made me feel that the whole human race owes a debt of gratitude to the architects of Voyager 1 & 2, surely the most important space missions to date. It was pitched at a perfect level, being understandable, thoroughly informative and gripping. Documentaries can be dull at times, but this had me listening to every single word and feeling a rush of almost spiritual elation at what we achieved as a human race. My thanks go to the film makers for such a wonderous and inspiring film, depicting how humans can reach beyond our small world both metaphorically and literally.

As remarkable an achievement as its subject

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 7 September 2017]

Have a lot of high appreciation for documentaries, on a diverse range of subjects. The story behind the two voyager space-crafts was a remarkable achievement at the time and still holds much fascination now, even for someone who isn't an expert and has admittedly never considered science a famous subject of theirs.

'The Farthest' does its subject justice and as every bit a remarkable achievement. It is for me a highlight of 2017, and is accessible to anybody. One does not have to have deep knowledge of the story of the two voyagers to be completely fascinated by 'The Farthest'. It will illuminate those who do, nobody should be frustrated at not learning anything new, but has enough that will attract a wider audience who may have heard of it but not in great detail or have no knowledge and want to know more.

Visually, 'The Farthest' is stunning, beautifully photographed and those images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are enough to take the breath away. Loved the wide variety of music choices and felt they added a lot.

Emer Reynolds' direction impresses hugely, she does play it safe with combining the NASA interviews with simulations of CGI, poetic shots of Earth and archive footage. Yet it doesn't feel too safe at all, with enough ambition that never comes over as over-ambitious.

Loved the way 'The Farthest' was written and assembled. The scientific elements are hugely intriguing and illuminating to anybody watching regardless of how expertly or limited their knowledge. Then there are some philosophical elements that are thought-provoking and even touching, without being self-indulgent.

Where 'The Farthest' particularly excels are how the enthusiasm (perceptive and honest and never glorifying) of the crew (namely the scientists and engineers) is conveyed, adding even further to how inspirational this mission and story are, and how ingeniously imaginative the technology (the technology itself and behind the scenes of how it came to be) is in making the mission possible. These are presented in a very humble manner.

In summation, remarkable. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Beyond Stellar

[peter-hallinan-874-731934 · 10/10 · 6 August 2017]

I was privileged to see this amazing documentary as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival in Christchurch, NZ. If you are enraptured by astronomy, physics, drama, tragedy, philosophy of science, or just amazing stories, don't miss this documentary. And if you're not, still see it and be prepared to change your mind. The documentary traces the whole story of the two Voyager missions to the outer planets of the solar system (and now beyond), from its earliest planning stages through to lift off and then all the incredible and unexpected discoveries since. The audience clapped loudly at the end of the showing, and deservedly so. Three cheers for the romance of science!

Voyager has left the Solar System

[plutus1947 · 10/10 · 17 August 2017]

I have no compunction whatsoever in giving this amazing documentary a 10 star rating and anyone interested in space and space travel is urged to watch this heart stopping and magical movie.

SPOILER BEGINS

This is the story of the Voyager 1 & 2 missions from their inception to the present day.

In the 1970s it was suggested that we build a spacecraft capable of traversing our Solar System to discover more information about our neighbours Jupiter and Saturn because in the 70s very little was known about these two distant planets.

When the idea was put before the President, Jimmy Carter, he was informed that the cost would be about one billion dollars so he said "Build two".

The scientists and engineers set to work and on 21 August 1977 Voyager 2 was launched followed by Voyager 1 on September 5th 1977.

This documentary follows the many successes and pitfalls of the hazardous missions of these two craft and it is riveting viewing.

Not only did these two craft visit Jupiter and Saturn but went on to provide incredible information on their moons and not being satisfied with that Voyager 1 went on to both Uranus and Neptune supplying phenomenal and highly surprising data on these two planets and their moons.

Their missions a total success Voyager 1 set its path for the end of the Solar System, reached and passed through 'The Bubble' on or about 25 August 2012. The human race can now proudly say that they are Interstellar Travellers.

Voyager 1 has the ability to continue on its mission of sending back data for about another decade but when its plutonium is at last depleted it will traverse the Universe into infinity and will still be travelling when our Sun has given up the ghost and become a Red Dwarf swallowing up most of its planets in the process.

It has already travelled billions of miles at a speed of approximately 44.000 miles per hour.

The only true thing of interest when it has run out of the ability to send back information is the Gold Disc which carries many snippets of information pertaining to human life and its various cultures, music and photos of ourselves and other animals and man made creations.

There is no reason to suppose that this disc will degrade and become unplayable for possibly billions of years so if/when an alien civilisation discovers Voyager 1 we very possibly will no longer be in existence.

SPOILER ENDS

I must say that this is one of the best and most insightful documentaries I have ever seen.

A powerful and transcendental documentary

[Gordon-11 · 26 July 2018]

This documentary tells the decades of discoveries led by a group of scientists and the two Voyager probes.

The images are beautiful and literally out of this world. It is great to see so many interviews of scientists who were involved in the process. There is a lot of inside information, such as the opposition to taking a final photo of the solar system at the end of the mission. I got moved to tears many tints, because this mission is beyond humanity, beyond space and beyond time.

compelling discoveries

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 20 August 2018]

In 1977, NASA launched Voyager1 and Voyager2. They traveled to the lesser-known outer planets and some of the moons orbiting them. The planets' rare alignment made it an opportune time. Carl Sagan is the driving force behind the golden record of earthly sounds which became the media focus.

This is slightly better than most PBS hour long specials. It's actually 96 minutes and packs an emotional punch. The wide-eyed poetry of exploration is well presented. This is a lot things. It's an underdog story. It's a scientific documentary. It's an exploration thriller. It brings back all the great discoveries. This could be great for inspiring a high school science class.

Get your Science tickled

[willslatt · 10/10 · 23 February 2019]

This is an excellent documentary showing the achievement of a team and a piece of technology that launched from our planet in 1977. Imagine if our public money internationally was all so well invested and intrusted to such competent people. Great Irish film making also.

Into the vast space, the man's first exploration!

[Reno-Rangan · 10/10 · 4 November 2017]

From the Irish editor turned documentary filmmaker will take you on an interstellar journey. I am not talking about the scripted feature films with plenty of pleasant visuals. This is real. The real life human effort to see and learn about the universe. It was the first of its kind attempted, and so far only attempt. The film reveals many secrets that you might have not heard before in any space documentaries you have seen. What's special about it is the releasing on the 40th anniversary since the launch of the rockets.

Well, there are real footages. But not exactly the real ones. Originally they are stills. The spacecraft took a series of picture, those received pictures were put together and formed into the video clips. Or you could say they ran it fast, so it looked like a video. Black and white to colourised, they have done a pretty nice work on that. Though there were many CGI works too for our better understanding what's going on. Like when the spacecraft travelling in the space, you can't send another one to keep picturing it from a pretty close distance like in the filmmaking what a cameraman does with the actors. That's how you would see the voyager's journey here.

Like any documentaries, this too was a series of interview based film. That would never change for this genre. There were no Brian Cox or Neil DeGrasse Tyson to narrate the space story. But Carl Sagan himself was present with his 80s, 90s press conference footages that are given regarding the latest Voyager's breakthrough. And many people who worked on the project given some precious information and their experience being one of the first to witness the historical pictures. It is a must to observe their expressions, the story that came straight from the source, stunningly.

The year was 1977. The man was already been on the Moon. The next attempt should have been the Mars. But that's another NASA story. They wanted beyond that, to see the actual universe. The technology was pretty good, though nothing like the present generation. But the great feast is, it was nearly half a century old attempt with outdated technology, yet round the year, every day, hour, minute, never it have ever had taken a rest. Travelling at the speed of 10 miles per second, it took 35 years to get out of out solar system bubble.

❝It's a pretty small spacecraft, and it's a pretty big universe.❞

Each phase of the Voyager's journey was breathtaking. It targeted the last four planets of our solar system. Started off with big brother, Jupiter. It was just a passing by and having a close look at the gas giant. Also spied at all of its moons. Then the Saturn, the guy with an icy ring. I really learnt lots about them. Particularly being first visual evidence of such phenomena.

Then came the surprise. I never knew Uranus, as well as Neptune has rings. Being a space geek, I disappointed myself there. Then they said, this guy is not a photogenic. Yep, he was not. He was too plain. But its moons were another surprise. Like the scared villains from the western films. Particularly, Miranda. Maybe my favourite moon from all of our solar system for being so different. Especially it reminded me 'The Little Prince'. Going to the final guy, Neptune, everybody got emotional, for it is being the final stop.

That was the last of our solar system. But I anticipated something about Pluto, the dwarf guy. These all happened like less than 20 years, but what came after was only an empty space within our solar system. Like it took next 15 years to exit the bandwidth of our sun. But what I guess is that there would have been some planets beyond Pluto in the ancient time, which some time later had escaped from the Sun's gravity to become the rogue planets. Because they were too far from the Sun and those empty spaces would not have been there without any reason. Is not it?

The man is not on board, but his creation reached farthest. Now travelling between the stars, nobody knows what comes next. But the Voyager still in touch with the Earth with low signal. I have known about this project since my teenage. But till now I never knew there were two Voyagers. That took me by a surprise. I have known about the on board music, map, human anatomical structure et cetera. It is obviously to make contact with other intelligence in the universe.

The Voyagers will travel thousands of years into deep space. From all, nobody knows or can predict the result of such unique space project the human has ever conducted. I think there's a possible that this documentary would feature in the upcoming Oscars. I'll be definitely happy for that. It is about the NASA's achievements. The Americans would be proud of it. But the world has too. After all, we're all the human's of the Earth. A must see documentary film by everyone.

10/10

Great Science Story

[sirhcybe · 7/10 · 17 August 2017]

The Farthest chronicles the history of NASA's Voyager missions which flew by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and exited the solar system carrying golden records with recordings of our civilization in case they ever encounter extraterrestrial life. The parts detailing the many scientific discoveries made were quite interesting but I found the long segments focusing on the records and the possibility of alien civilizations to be overly long and unimportant. It's worth watching for the science parts.

Outstanding

[Xerra-Baldy · 10/10 · 1 April 2018]

The technology in 1977 was amazingly primitive to what we have today and yet the brilliant scientists at NASA got a spaceship outside of our solar system? And who's to say Voyager 2 won't do the same?

If the two crafts hadn't launched when they did then we wouldn't have seen two of these planets until around 2150. Sobering thought.

I really do think that, if we hadn't done this, then there would have been no New Horizons visiting Pluto or most of the Mars missions.

We're lucky that Nixon had a limited vision for giving the go-ahead for this mission back in 1972 and Jimmy Carter for starting the process with the moon landing back in 1969.

This documentary is a fascinating insight into the 12 year mission plan to get from launch to leaving Neptune's orbit. If you're a space junkie like me then you have to watch this.

Tantalizing Visuals and an Incredible Story, Slightly Failed by Over-Production

[drqshadow-reviews · 7/10 · 15 May 2020]

Rosy hindsight for the technical crew behind the design, launch, analysis and direction of America's twin Voyager space probes in the late twentieth century. As with most real-life space sagas, it's a rich blend of tough math, contagious enthusiasm, absurd scale and one or two doses of high-pressure existential crisis.

The scientists and optical specialists chosen for these interviews aren't polished speakers. They might stumble over a word or change their phrasing mid-sentence, but that makes them more relatable, more essentially human, which reinforces the sense of achievement that's so important to the whole picture. Their stories are still fascinating; their passion for the project (and their role in it) still boundless. Those excited recollections, plus the requisite space porn that the dual spacecraft zapped back to Earth, make for a great pair. It's when this documentary is at its best. Less so, the occasional insertion of odd stock video clips and dreamy narration. Seems like somebody watched the well-known YouTube clip of Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" speech and tried to polish it up.

The film's obsession over the famous golden LPs that stowed away on each craft, endlessly circling back to revisit their production, also seems excessive. Especially as the interviewees specifically deride the mass media fixation surrounding both objects. The central story of long-term adventure and tireless exploration should have been fantastic enough on its own.

Needs different title

[altmerstormcloak · 5/10 · 28 March 2019]

I really enjoy space documentaries but this one was more of a documentary about the people who were involved with the creation and launch of Voyager 1 and 2. Also some experts and other folks were interviewed.

There was a lot more showing interviews than there was footage of space, which is what I was hoping for. There was a lot of unnecessary shots of fields and random silhouetted people in various places. These shots were not needed because the documentary is a hour and a half long, easily could have cut the filler shots out and saved 30 minutes, a hour long documentary is perfect imo.

With that said, this film needs a new title. Interviews with the people of Voyager is but long but at least it tells the viewer what they're in store for. I really wish they would have had more footage of the planning and building process. Also more shots of SPACE!

Still a good docu but just expected something different.

Mankind's greatest voyage of discovery

[d-millhoff · 10/10 · 19 May 2019]

The title is not an exaggeration.

In the mid-1970's, the gas-giant planets aligned in a manner that posed a rare once-in-200-years opportunity for a truly epic grand tour of the outer solar system.

NASA launched two probes and returned the first detailed images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and their armada of major moons.

And these images were nothing short of astounding.

The Voyager mission exceeded the scientific community's wildest expectations, and fundamentally changed our understanding of the solar system.

'The Farthest' documents the often-touching story behind these probes, the scientists and curators, the science, and of course the amazing, glorious discoveries and jaw-dropping images Voyager sent us on its journey through our solar system on its way to interstellar space.

It even includes a classic SNL clip about the famous "Message in a Bottle" phonograph record. No spoilers, if you don't know what I'm talking about, google it yourself or, better yet, watch this wonderful documentary.

Wonderful

[gdemoll · 10/10 · 20 May 2019]

My first ever review on an app that I use regularly. What a truly mind blowing documentary, thank you kindly for creating it. A wonderful story of the true geniuses at NASA. Highly recommended.

Chronicles The Story Of Mankind's Greatest Achievement

[CinemaClown · 15 June 2021]

Informative, entertaining & breathtaking, The Farthest chronicles the history of the Voyager program & its dual space probes, a mission that was undertaken to study the outer planets of our solar system & the space beyond but has become an enduring legacy of mankind in the infinite realm of the universe that will live on as our remnant even after our species, our planet & our star is long gone.

Written & directed by Emer Reynolds, this documentary is narrated in a way that piques our curiosity & intrigues our ever-inquisitive mind, and covers the journey of Voyager 1 & 2 through the recollections from the crew responsible for making the mission an extraordinary success. Employing interviews, archive footage, CGI simulations & some of the breathtaking images these probes took, the film really acquaints the viewers with the wonders of space & importance of its exploration.

The documentary goes into detail with how this mission came to be, the golden record & its significance, the close-calls it survived and how the probes continue to defy expectations even today, becoming the first man-made objects to leave solar system & enter interstellar space. From Jupiter to Neptune, each planet & their moons are explored in fine detail. And the film not only looks at it from a scientific viewpoint but also offers a philosophical perspective. And it's accessible throughout.

Overall, The Farthest is amongst the most fascinating documentaries about space exploration and is one illuminating ride that aptly reflects the passion, intimacy & enthusiasm of the crew behind the Voyager program. Their testimonies lend solid weight & emotional depth to these scientific instruments, plus the fact that these space probes are most likely to outlive its inventors makes them a valid contender for humankind's greatest achievement. My only gripe is that it's only 2 hours long, for I didn't want this mesmerising journey to end. In short, a humbling experience.

Voyagers in space

[mihai_alexandru_chindris · 8/10 · 26 September 2017]

Mankind left its fingerprint in the outer space wit Voyager 1 & 2. This is, by far, the most remarkable thing human beings ever accomplished. And I could never be more proud and honored. Thinking that a man-made object will last billions of years, longer than we'll ever be able to exist, probably, it just blows my mind. At least this would be a signal for aliens to know that, far away, on a pale blue dot, a species of creatures called humans reached their goal of sending the message that we were here and we would never be forgotten. Documentaries like these prove that the sky is not the limit and that men are capable of doing things that are far beyond their potential. What we have done is more than history, it is a story worth sharing with... aliens.

The Voyagers that could...40 years on

[safenoe · 10/10 · 8 August 2017]

This is a fascinating look at the incredible Voyager 1 and 2 journeys, and who would have have thought that 40 years on (it was launched 4 days after the death of Elvis), the two would be powering away, all lonely in outer space and beyond. All credit to the dedicated scientists who worked around the clock to get this thing working. We also learned much about the golden record on both Voyagers. We learn that the publicity about the golden record received, much to the consternation of the scientists, more attention than the tech aspects!! It was lovely seeing interviews with the people who provided the oral greetings, although funnily enough they sounded like Linus.

We learned that Voyager 2 launched first, but Voyager 1 was faster and overtook Voyager 2. Also the press conference for the launch was held at Frank Wolfe's Beachside Motel, in a hotel room separated from a Polish wedding reception LOL!!

But Voyager is in need for an update. So for Voyager 3 they should consider a new golden record. For instance they need a LGBTI next to the naked man and woman drawing. This will enthrall the aliens.

Talking about aliens, the Voyager 3 golden record should include a speech from President Trump, who has a lot of thoughts about aliens. The golden record should also include every episode of the Kardashians, a complete video of the OJ Simpson murder trial, MTV's the Real World and Road Rules, climate change reports, health reports about the rate of obesity, the Alien DVD collection with a special message from Ridley Scott), the Predator DVD collection, an E.T. plush doll, the complete ALF DVD collection, the Space Invaders video game, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Criterion Collection DVD of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, and The Martian DVD.

Also the Voyager 3 golden record must include the Death Wish DVD collection (including the Bruce Willis reboot), and the complete series of Third Rock from the Sun.

Also don't forget David Bowie's movie The Man Who Fell to Earth and his classic Space Oddity, and The Carpenter's Calling occupants of interplanetary craft.

Great stuff.

[deloudelouvain · 9/10 · 1 April 2019]

The question we all aks ourselves is if there is anybody else than us in this universe. If you had any doubts about that you might get a glimpse of the posibilities after watching this very well made documentary. We're used to think just about our galaxy, The Milky Way, but there are millions more of those with each time billions of stars in each one. There is absolutely no doubt that there are other life forms than us somewhere really far away. That is just a fact. The chances of us encountering aliens are almost nihil or we would have to be the luckiest guys ever. After watching this documentary that's a logical conclusion. The footage is interesting stuff and nice to watch, and the interviews from the scientists, even though some are a bit too emotional about it, are not too difficult to understand even if you're a complete newbie when it's about space stuff. After watching it I have even more questions than before, and that's not a bad thing, but those questions will probably never be answered. The Voyager might find something one day but the chances that our planet will still be habitable is doubtful and our human race will be extinguished since a long time.

Mind blowing..

[gdemoll · 10/10 · 31 October 2019]

I watched this doc a number of weeks ago now and I still discuss fairly regularly with my kids......it's has almost literally...blown my mind.

Reasonably interesting

[muamba_eats_toast · 7/10 · 21 July 2020]

Above average and found it informative but not quite as entertaining as others. Worth a watch but didn't blow my mind.

Informative Stuff

[kenyae-cagle · 8/10 · 29 April 2018]

I love this movie and how many scientist were discussing about the experience with voyaging space. To see how Jupiter was formed and how it had its own vortex and how the magnetic force around Jupiter could form its own particles. Also, to hear that if you go in the middle of Jupiter you could melt from the gas planet. I loved seeing the journey for other life forms and even though the language was sort of making assumptions of other life forms. The evidence pieces that were shown were definitely challenging. I hope we do find other life forms. It was cool to see Lawrence Krauss as well.

Watchable

[dudde16 · 7/10 · 7 March 2019]

Documentary is more about the people who worked on the mission and their anecdotes throughout the mission. There is a bit of scientific information that is intriguing. Other than that it is a mid day flick.

Our greatest acheivement

[doorsscorpywag · 10/10 · 13 December 2017]

We like to think we mean something here on our silly little planet. We inflate our importance with society, religion and politics looking down on some here and sucking up to others there. One day our Sun will explode or we will get hit buy a big rock or we will poison our atmosphere or blow ourselves to oblivion. And once we are gone the Universe won't care a damn.

But 2 tiny little specks floating on the Galactic winds may well get the opportunity to tell whoever is out there that we once dreamed large and maybe were worthy of note.

This utterly amazing 2 hours tells the story of Voyager. Two probes sent out to photograph and scan the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and then carry on into whatever out there actually is. Voyager#1 and Voyager#2 and their little gold records may well be all that remains of our hubris of being chosen by gods for some great destiny.

An incredible story of absolutely incredible people who started this dream in 1972 under Nixon and were able to see their creation, Voyager#1, become the first man made object to leave our Solar System in 2012. Voyager #2 will follow in the next few years. Luckily we had someone who had integrity and was articulate and intelligent to deliver the news in President Obama. Imagine the current infestation of that office being tasked with announcing this great achievement today. Me neither!

As Voyager#1 was leaving the orbit of Neptune someone had the most incredible idea of turning it around and photographing the Solar System from nearly 11 Billion Miles from the Sun. It nearly never happened as there was no science in doing such a thing. Thankfully one of the greatest human beings we have ever had Carl Sagan managed to talk them around into taking what is without doubt the most incredible photo ever taken. I am glad he lived to see that as his Cosmos series was one of TV greatest ever. Worth seeing. Check it out.