3302: Voyager Instruments
| Voyager Instruments |
 Title text: Convincing him to turn off the stupid laser show and useless sound system was such a huge ordeal that no one has wanted to do it again. |
Explanation[edit]
Voyager 1 is a space probe launched in 1977, almost 50 years before this comic, aimed at operating at the distance of the outer planets and potentially onward towards interstellar space — which it and other probes have so far been very successful in accomplishing. Like other interstellar/outer-planet probes, it uses radioisotope thermoelectric generators rather than solar panels, which don't work well or reliably enough on such extended missions at such a great distance from the Sun. These generators are powered by radioactive materials which emit heat as they decay, which is, in turn, used to generate electricity. These generators can provide continuous power for decades with no maintenance, no moving parts and no access to sunlight, making them ideal for space missions such as these. The main disadvantages of such generators are the high cost and the presence of very hazardous materials, both of which are of comparatively minor importance in a groundbreaking unmanned space mission such as Voyager. Randall has previously referred to these generators, calling them "unrealistic" because they're so useful.
While such generators are long-lived, the gradual decay of the nuclear fuel means that their power output declines over time. Half a century into the mission, Voyager 1's available power has fallen considerably. This means that there's not enough available power for all the probe's scientific instruments. Scientists at NASA have maximized the value of the mission by turning off some of the instruments, so that others can continue to have sufficient power. As the fuel decays, more and more instruments must be deactivated. This requires making a decision as to which instruments provide the most scientific value, in relation to the amount of power they consume.
In this strip, they debate whether to turn off the Plasma Wave Subsystem (an instrument that measures electron density in interstellar space) or the magnetometer (an instrument that measures magnetic field strength). As of the date of this comic posting (September 2026), this is correct: these are the only two scientific instruments currently active on Voyager 1.
In this comic's reality, it's revealed there is something else drawing power: Greg has apparently installed "LED underlighting" on Voyager 1. Underlighting, or underglow, is a decorative system used on the underside of automobiles. It has little practical function, and is entirely for appearance. Such a system would be a ridiculous waste of weight and power on a modern space probe, since a) the probe exists for scientific purposes, not aesthetics,[citation needed] and b) there's no one around to see the probe in any case. In addition, such systems did not come into common use until long after Voyager was launched — inexpensive multicolored LEDs, which are used in such systems, did not exist in 1977.
Greg refuses to turn off the underlighting, claiming that it would make humans "look uncool in front of aliens". This argument isn't quite as ridiculous as it would initially appear. Voyager probes do, in fact, carry the Voyager Golden Record, which was designed to convey the basics of human culture, language and science, meaning that the possibility of the probe being discovered by aliens in the future was given actual consideration. However, even if the probe were discovered, it's highly unlikely that the lighting would still be active, and also unlikely that the aliens would be impressed by the lighting, even if it was. The lights might make the probe easier to spot in space, but it's unclear how useful that would be, and Greg is clearly only interested in the aesthetic value.
The title text mentions that Greg has added even more car-like 'upgrade' features to Voyager 1, including a "stupid laser show" (lasers in space do not scatter due to the absence of particles in a vacuum, making an Earth-style laser show very difficult to view in space) and a "useless sound system" (sound does not travel in space), which were turned off only after a "huge ordeal" which nobody wants to repeat. The suggestion is that, while Greg's ideas are pointless and wasteful, he's so adamant about them that the others don't care to have a repeat of the argument.
Transcript[edit]
- [Megan is standing in front of a chart, with a diagram of Voyager 1 and a line graph going downward. She is holding a pointer towards the plot while addressing a panel in front of her to the right. The panel is seated behind a desk and is composed of Ponytail, Cueball and Hairy (who is identified in the dialogue as Greg). Cueball is resting his hands on the desk.]
- Megan: As the radioactive power source on Voyager 1 weakens, we've been turning instruments off to conserve power.
- [Megan is holding the pointer at her side. Cueball is no longer resting his hands on the desk.]
- Megan: Only two instruments remain. Do we want to lose the plasma wave subsystem or the magnetometer?
- [Ponytail has her hand raised. Greg is standing up with his hands on the desk.]
- Ponytail: You know, if we just turned off Greg's LED underlighting–
- Greg: Absolutely not.
- Cueball: Dammit, Greg.
- Greg: I will not allow us to look uncool in front of aliens.
Discussion
First! 128.119.202.38 00:24, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
- Last! 216.25.182.141 00:54, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
The sound system wouldn't work in the vacum of space without a Soniferous Aether--Death cab for me (talk) 00:58, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
Should we explain what a plasma wave subsystem or magnetometer is? I personally have no idea what they are and it doesn't seem important to the joke... --Death cab for me (talk) 01:03, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
- Wikipedia has an explanation. It's two antennae at a 90° angle that both Voyager probes have for measuring electron density. Thus, by recording changes in electron density over time, they can measure plasma waves. Apparently the subsystem consumes 1.3 W of power and generates 32 bits per second of data. By the way, Voyager 1 may actually turn back on an instrument: the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP). It will be able to power this for some time if the planned "Big Bang" fix works, as has already been successfully performed on Voyager 2. So the next news might not be a further instrument shutdown but actually an instrument booting back up. EebstertheGreat (talk) 02:22, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
Anyone know why Greg is labeled as Hairy here? Hairy is said to (maybe) be named Mike according to his info page Hairy, should Greg be added there? Also, there is one more mention of Greg in 2265: Tax AI, but I don't think it's the same Greg
Useless observation - If Greg is responsible for installing the LED lights in 1977, he is at a minimum 70 years old. 2A02:587:4C4F:9600:9FA3:F30D:EA80:6AE1 12:58, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
- Light show and Speakers probably reference "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) 99.105.210.209 18:31, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
- He's also a time traveler, since the first LED lighting for cars was in the mid 1990s, and the first LED lights in space were in 1994... 97.118.241.19 00:43, 25 September 2026 (UTC)
- Not necessary to be the one who installed them, just that he is now in charge of that part of the project. Obviously, that affects his job, so high interest in them continuing. SDSpivey (talk) 09:02, 25 September 2026 (UTC)
I suspect that Greg (or perhaps a descendant) had a hand in designing "Starship Groove" on "Animusic 2", as seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBOQcQO0IFI Hizoomi (talk) 13:18, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
The LED lighting makes it go faster, though! /s Fephisto (talk) 19:01, 24 September 2026 (UTC)
I love this strip because it also casually illustrates how a single determined person with a decisive stance can hijack group decisions, even if they are NOT in a position of authority (Greg does not seem to be compared to the others), simply because no one seems to dare to speak up to them, or even simply outvote them. Happens in real life, too, and is sometimes the reason for catastrophically bad decisions. --92.209.171.89 08:05, 25 September 2026 (UTC)
Anyone think it's more than a coincidence that there's been a recent appearance of a multicolored UAP over Tehran? There's a simpler explanation, but imagine if it was an alien probe with LED underglow. 2600:1006:B167:6031:1E0:A2A6:C2FD:C3D1 08:45, 25 September 2026 (UTC)
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