Slice of History - 45 Years Since Voyager 1’s Jupiter Closest Encounter

On 5 March 1979, Voyager 1 passed Jupiter for the first time in a landmark moment in global space history.

Designed to take advantage of a rare planetary alignment that occurs only once in 176 years, Voyagers 1 and 2 remain both the most distant human-made objects in existence and the most well-traveled spacecraft in history. Essentially Mariner 11, Voyager 1 continued to make headlines as it discovered new moons, active volcanoes, and a wealth of data about the outer solar system.

This press event even included various VIPs, including Sidney Poitier and Governor Jerry Brown, who is seen in this photo alongside Charles Kohlhase, taken at a press conference held for the Jupiter Closest Approach in March 1979. The two are discussing a scaled representation of Voyager 1’s closest approach to Jupiter. CL#23-6587

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