Contrary to its name, Voyager 2 was the first of the vehicles launched into space first in Aug. 20 1977 from Florida. Its twin probe, Voyager 1, launched two weeks later on Sept. 5.

At more than 15 billion miles away, Voyager 1 has the distinction of being the farthest human-made object from Earth – a record it has maintained since 1998.

Should they encounter extraterrestrial life, both Voyager 1 and 2 also carry the famous "golden record," functioning both as a time capsule and friendly Earthling greeting.

For nearly five decades, NASA's twin Voyager probes have plumbed the cosmos in search of answers to some of astronomy's most perplexing mysteries about our solar system and its place in the wider universe.

And now, both of the pioneering spacecraft – which launched two weeks apart

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