Infographic: What is the Energy Department Doing in Space?
The Cassini Probe, sent to Saturn in 1997. NASA
The agency has sent its technology out far beyond our atmosphere.
You may think the space beyond our atmosphere is the strict realm of NASA, but the Energy Department has some of its own dealings among the stars.
The myriad probes and satellites launched include space power systems and instruments from the Energy Department's National Laboratories. These technologies have made their way from the sun to Pluto -- and beyond.
In 1977, for example, Voyager 1 was launched powered by a radioisotope power system developed by the department. The Voyager 1 recently became the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space.
Check out the infographic below to get the full scope of the department's space adventures:
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