<p><strong>Sort of. But not the same system.</strong></p>

<p><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Outersolarsystem-probes-4407b.svg">Here's a photo</a> of the directions the two <em>Voyager</em> probes (and a couple <em>Pioneers</em>) are traveling:</p>

<p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Outersolarsystem-probes-4407b.svg" alt="*Voyager* directions"></p>

<p>They're also not traveling in a flat plane, as <a href="http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/planetary.html">this page says</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Voyager 1 has crossed into the heliosheath and is leaving the solar system, rising above the ecliptic plane at an angle of about 35 degrees at a rate of about 520 million kilometers (about 320 million miles) a year. (Voyager 1 entered interstellar space on August 25, 2012.) Voyager 2 is also headed out of the solar system, diving below the ecliptic plane at an angle of about 48 degrees and a rate of about 470 million kilometers (about 290 million miles) a year.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I was able to find some good information <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/robotic-exploration/plotting-the-destinations-of-4-interstellar-probes">here</a>. <em>Voyager 1</em> is headed towards <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_445">Gliese 445</a>. However, it will be 1.6 light-years away at its closest approach - not exactly close by! It will reach that star, 17.6 light-years away, in 40,000 years.</p>

<p><em>Voyager 2</em> will go by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_248">Ross 248</a>, a red dwarf currently 10 light-years away. The craft will take 40,000 years to get there. 256,000 years later, <em>Voyager 2</em> will come within 4.3 light-years of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius#Visibility">Sirius</a>.</p>

<p>The probes will have absolutely no power by that time.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:25:07.570Z
What is providing the propulsion for these crafts to enable them to keep going for 40,000 years ?
Peter U
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:27:10.500Z
@PeterU Nothing, they are just floating in space, and have been floating since they passed the last planet they visited.
LDC3
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:37:27.990Z
@PeterU as LCD3 said, the probes are coasting, and have no means of propulsion, aside from a few [thrusters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program#Spacecraft_design), which might not be working any more. Space is a near-vacuum, so there is essentially no friction to slow them down.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:56:32.727Z
What is keeping them on course to reach their destination , instead of just floating off in any direction ? It sounds incredible that basically we shoot out this probe and we know exactly where to aim it from billions of miles away to go where we want it to go ? Hundreds of billions of Stars and we can pinpoint the one that the probe should go to and we know how to aim it to get there from this far away ?
Peter U
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:57:57.727Z
@PeterU We didn't aim them at the stars - we aimed them at the outer planets. These stars aren't planned destinations, they're just where the probes will happen to be.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-07T12:02:12.127Z
So are you saying that we didn't choose which Star System the probe should go to but calculated where it will end up on it's own ? So in the distant future how would we direct a Star Ship to go where we want it to go, with "thrusters" ?
Peter U
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-07T13:13:56.687Z
@PeterU The thrusters are too weak to make a difference. To bring it to another star system, we'd have to use the outer gas giants to give it a boost via the slingshot effect - as the Voyagers did - but take it out of their orbit at just the right time so it went in the right direction. Putting a rocket engine would be way too expensive and bulky, and it wouldn't last for long.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-07T16:24:35.840Z
So will we ever be able to travel the Galaxy like in Star Trek or is it simply impossible to do ? This could also be a reason that we have never been visited, assuming that there is anyone to visit us to begin with, lol
Peter U
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-07T16:29:20.263Z
@PeterU That's a completely different question. . . There are so many relevant factors.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-08T03:30:33.803Z
@PeterU If you have a new question, ask them as a new question. The SE mechanism likes active users, and refering an once accepted answer makes your next question more high reputated.
peterh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:07:32.327Z
2014-12-06T22:07:32.327Z
HDE 226868
<p>Will the Voyager space crafts actually reach another Star System in 63,000 years? If the answer is yes, what will be  powering the crafts to keep them going for so long?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:36:34.210Z
This question appears to be based on the mistaken Aristotelian notion that a force is needed to keep an object in motion.
David Hammen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-06T22:37:58.107Z
@DavidHammen The second half, yes.
HDE 226868
<interstellar-travel><space-probe>
Voyager spacecrafts
Peter U
# Voyager spacecrafts

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-12-06)

Will the Voyager space crafts actually reach another Star System in 63,000 years? If the answer is yes, what will be powering the crafts to keep them going for so long?

**Tags:** interstellar-travel, space-probe
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This question appears to be based on the mistaken Aristotelian notion that a force is needed to keep an object in motion.  
> **username_2**: @DavidHammen The second half, yes.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-12-06. Score: 5

**Sort of. But not the same system.**

[Here's a photo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Outersolarsystem-probes-4407b.svg) of the directions the two *Voyager* probes (and a couple *Pioneers*) are traveling:

![*Voyager* directions](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Outersolarsystem-probes-4407b.svg)

They're also not traveling in a flat plane, as [this page says](http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/planetary.html):

> Voyager 1 has crossed into the heliosheath and is leaving the solar system, rising above the ecliptic plane at an angle of about 35 degrees at a rate of about 520 million kilometers (about 320 million miles) a year. (Voyager 1 entered interstellar space on August 25, 2012.) Voyager 2 is also headed out of the solar system, diving below the ecliptic plane at an angle of about 48 degrees and a rate of about 470 million kilometers (about 290 million miles) a year.

I was able to find some good information [here](http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/robotic-exploration/plotting-the-destinations-of-4-interstellar-probes). *Voyager 1* is headed towards [Gliese 445](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_445). However, it will be 1.6 light-years away at its closest approach - not exactly close by! It will reach that star, 17.6 light-years away, in 40,000 years.

*Voyager 2* will go by [Ross 248](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_248), a red dwarf currently 10 light-years away. The craft will take 40,000 years to get there. 256,000 years later, *Voyager 2* will come within 4.3 light-years of [Sirius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius#Visibility).

The probes will have absolutely no power by that time.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What is providing the propulsion for these crafts to enable them to keep going for 40,000 years ?  
> **username_3**: @PeterU Nothing, they are just floating in space, and have been floating since they passed the last planet they visited.  
> **username_2**: @PeterU as LCD3 said, the probes are coasting, and have no means of propulsion, aside from a few [thrusters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program#Spacecraft_design), which might not be working any more. Space is a near-vacuum, so there is essentially no friction to slow them down.  
> **username_0**: What is keeping them on course to reach their destination , instead of just floating off in any direction ? It sounds incredible that basically we shoot out this probe and we know exactly where to aim it from billions of miles away to go where we want it to go ? Hundreds of billions of Stars and we can pinpoint the one that the probe should go to and we know how to aim it to get there from this far away ?  
> **username_2**: @PeterU We didn't aim them at the stars - we aimed them at the outer planets. These stars aren't planned destinations, they're just where the probes will happen to be.  
> **username_0**: So are you saying that we didn't choose which Star System the probe should go to but calculated where it will end up on it's own ? So in the distant future how would we direct a Star Ship to go where we want it to go, with "thrusters" ?  
> **username_2**: @PeterU The thrusters are too weak to make a difference. To bring it to another star system, we'd have to use the outer gas giants to give it a boost via the slingshot effect - as the Voyagers did - but take it out of their orbit at just the right time so it went in the right direction. Putting a rocket engine would be way too expensive and bulky, and it wouldn't last for long.  
> **username_0**: So will we ever be able to travel the Galaxy like in Star Trek or is it simply impossible to do ? This could also be a reason that we have never been visited, assuming that there is anyone to visit us to begin with, lol  
> **username_2**: @PeterU That's a completely different question. . . There are so many relevant factors.  
> **username_4**: @PeterU If you have a new question, ask them as a new question. The SE mechanism likes active users, and refering an once accepted answer makes your next question more high reputated.  

---

