Voyager 1 Space Probe: Photo courtesy of NASA.
Voyager:
In 1977, the Voyager 1 Space Probe was launched by NASA, with the intention of studying the outer planets and the moons of our Solar System. Amazingly, all these years later, Voyager 1 is still going, and is still communicating with us. It is estimated that Voyager 1 will still be reporting back until 2036, after which time the probe will lose it's power. But onward into the unknown heavens it will fly, most likely for all eternity. In August of 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human made spacecraft to pass out of the Heliosphere, and into the Interstellar Medium.
Okay, so what is a Heliosphere? It is a bubble that is created by the Sun's "Solar Winds", which surround and shield our Solar System from the riff raff of Space, such as radiation and cosmic blasts. Yes, the Heliosphere is real, and is an important reason that our beautiful planet Earth can sustain life.....
So, Voyager 1 is the first man-made creation to go Interstellar..... How cool is that. And a monumental achievement by the NASA Scientists so long ago!
So, for my Album "Space", I had to do a song for Voyager 1. Mostly, to celebrate this monumental human achievement, but also, to put a conscience into that amazing hunk of metal and circuitry hurling through Space!
When I wrote "Voyager", I was trying to put myself into the realm of the Voyager 1 Space Probe. I had a vision about what it must be like to leave the confines of our beautiful sun, and beautiful Solar System, and enter into the abyss of Interstellar Space. There I was, sitting on a couch by a window on the Voyager, looking out into the heavens. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, and my toes being warmed by a crackling fire in the fireplace (apparently there is a nice fireplace on the Voyager 1), we soared past Jupiter, and then the amazing Saturn, with it's spectacular rings - breathtaking! And finally, we reached that great border in the heavens, that invisible line between the Heliosphere and Interstellar space, called the "Heliopause". It's sort of like "The Doldrums" of Space..... A tug of war between the Sun and the great nothingness that lies beyond.
Everything was quiet, almost surreal, as the tiny Space Probe floated majestically closer to the end of the Heliosphere and toward it's encounter with deep space..... and suddenly, I felt a slight shutter, as the Heliosphere released her grip, and let the tiny Probe float on her way into the infinite realm of the Interstellar Medium....
As the Probe banked to the right, then charted a path for the stars, I looked back towards the Sun. I thought I saw her wipe a tear from her eye, because she knew that her first child had just left home......