Voyager 2 Launch
Voyager 2 lifted off on Aug. 20, 1977, about two weeks before the Sept. 5 launch of Voyager 1. The two probes were sent on different trajectories; Voyager 1 was put on a path to reach its planetary targets, Jupiter and Saturn, ahead of Voyager 2.
Voyager 1 Launch
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft launches from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 5, 1977.
Earth and Moon
This picture of a crescent-shaped Earth and moon — the first of its kind ever taken by a spacecraft — was recorded Sept. 18, 1977, by NASA's Voyager 2 when it was 7.25 million miles (11.66 million kilometers) from Earth.
The U.S. Geological Survey produced this processed, enhanced-color image of Jupiter using a photo captured by Voyager 2 in July 1979.
As Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter in 1979, it captured this photo of the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is an ancient, high-pressure storm on Jupiter so large that three Earths could fit inside it.
In January and February 1979, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft zoomed toward Jupiter, capturing hundreds of images during its approach, including this close-up of swirling clouds around Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
Color composite by Voyager 2 showing Jupiter's faint ring system. Images captured in July 1979.
This false-color image of Jupiter's icy moon Callisto was taken by Voyager 2 on July 7, 1979 at a range of 677,000 miles (1,094,666 kilometers).
View of the icy, ocean-harboring Jupiter moon Europa, taken by Voyager 2 on July 9, 1979.
This re-projection of the official USGS basemap of Jupiter's moon Europa is centered at the estimated source region for potential water vapor plumes that might have been detected using the Hubble Space Telescope.
This Voyager 2 mosaic, photographed at a range of 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) shows Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system. The ancient dark area of Regio Galileo lies at the upper left. Below it, the ray system is probably caused by water-ice splashed out in a relatively recent impact.