I am a film student and I am doing research for my Thesis Film. The concept is this: A spacecraft launched from earth launched many years ago travels outside our Solar System and is discovered by the inhabitants of another planet. The film follows the chaos that ensues over this unidentified object. I want there to be some truth to this story, so I am looking for information on missions in which we have lost contact with the spacecraft we have sent out. I have researched the Pioneer 11 and so far this is the only one I know of. You help will be much appreciated. Thank You Jennifer
Question? Pioneer and Voyager are the only spacecrafts to have left the solar system and as far as I know we still have contact with them. But recently we have lost contact with several probes sent to Mars. The mars polar orbiter was one of them. I'm glad to find another person from N. Y. C. on the Boards! Welcome!
While it probably won't have much impact on your film, the spacecraft will be a long time getting there. On the range of at least 1000 years (rough estimate). That's if its found at the first system visited. I would imagine that the craft will be pretty scarred by dust, micrometerites, and whatever else it hits on it's journey. It could be possible that if anything does find it that the plaque might be very hard to read. Or if it is tucked away in an area that is not exposed to the wear and tear then the craft it's self may be a shamble of its original self. It could be exceedingly difficult to read or make any sense of it.
