Ghost Ship

I woke up to this story on Morning Edition today, and I didn’t even hit snooze again. If Pioneer 10 can keep it up for 31 years, I should be able to get out of bed.

Pioneer 10 will continue to coast silently as a ghost ship through deep space into interstellar space, heading generally for the red star Aldebaran, which forms the eye of Taurus (The Bull). Aldebaran is about 68 light years away and it will take Pioneer over 2 million years to reach it. (From the Pioneer Project Homepage)

So, a lengthy retirement is next, a 2 million year coast, destination Taurus and beyond. But no more postcards.