Visionary Physicist Behind NASA's Voyager Spacecraft, Edward C. Stone, Dies at 88

Edward C. Stone, the pioneering physicist who led the groundbreaking Voyager spacecraft missions, passed away on Sunday at his home in Pasadena, California. He was 88 years old. His daughter, Susan C. Stone, confirmed his death.

Edward Stone was inspired to pursue space exploration by the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957. This event spurred him to oversee the Voyager missions two decades later at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology for NASA.

Voyager Missions

The Voyager missions, consisting of twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, were launched separately from Cape Canaveral, Florida in the summer of 1977. These spacecraft have been traveling through space for almost five decades, collecting valuable data as they journey through the outer planets of our solar system and continue into interstellar space.

Edward C. Stone's contributions to space exploration have left an indelible mark on our understanding of the cosmos, and his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of scientists and space enthusiasts.