#arrokoth

It would be impossible to choose a favorite real spacecraft but my favorite fictional spacecraft is probably the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D.

Partly because I love the TNG technical manual and partly because it's just gorgeous. Easily the best looking ship to carry the name.

Some candidates for my favorite real spacecrafts: The Space Shuttle Orbiters (Space Transportation System) (1981-2011). Truly horrendous design. Unsafe, inefficient, but unquestionably gorgeous and utterly iconic, having defined human spaceflight for at least two generations.

You may have a death toll but I can't stay mad at you...

The Apollo Lunar Modules (1969-1972). These babies have a negative death toll, being instrumental in the rescue of the Apollo 13 astronauts and being uninvolved in the Apollo 1 fire. They are also one of two unquestionably iconic U.S. government vehicles designed and built by Grumman with "L" in the name--the other is the USPS Long Life Vehicle.

Skylab. They really did just say "what if we emptied out a rocket tank and turn it into a space station." and it has the dubious honor of being the only space station with a spacious enough volume to test cold-gas EVA-jetpacks and to have a shower. All while having its sun shield and one of its solar panels torn off. It's even large enough that you can run along the outside, and the centrifugal force of your own circular motion is enough to keep you on the walls/floor.

New Horizons (launch 2006, arrival at Pluto 2015, arrival at Arrokoth 2019).

Cassini (launch 1997, arrival 2004, destroyed at end of mission 2017)

and the Voyagers (especially Voyager 2) Launch: 1977 Jupiter: 1979 Saturn: 1980 and 1981 Uranus: 1986 Neptune: 1989 Heliopause: 2012 & 2018 Current status: transmitting from Interstellar space (in terms of heliophysics. Still well within the sun's gravitational sphere of influence)

As of 2022, what is the most distant object explored by a spacecraft?

Arrokoth is a small, icy world located in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune that is home to numerous dwarf planets and asteroids. Formerly known as Ultima Thule, Arrokoth was first discovered by NASA's 'New Horizons' spacecraft on 1st January 2019, during its historic flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto. After completing its primary mission of studying Pluto, 'New Horizons' continued its journey deeper into the Kuiper Belt, where it encountered Arrokoth. This encounter marked the farthest exploration of any object in the solar system.

Unlike other celestial bodies that have been subjected to significant geological activity or collisions, Arrokoth appears to have remained largely unchanged since its formation over 4.5 billion years ago. This makes it a valuable time capsule, offering scientists a unique opportunity to study the early stages of our solar system's development.

Should NASA Send New Horizons To A Nearby Star For Its Final Mission?

“Over the next million years, the Voyagers and Pioneers will approach numerous stars, but only at relatively large separations. The closest will be Pioneer 10, encountering HIP 1177795 in ~90,000 years from 0.75 light-years away. But New Horizons, unlike the others, still has significant fuel remaining. After encountering Pluto and Arrokoth, it may yet target another object in the outer Kuiper belt. Subsequently, it will eventually enter interstellar space, but can be boosted to approach future stellar targets.”

In the 1970s, four spacecraft were launched with speeds large enough that they would eventually escape the Solar System: Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2. In the 2000s, New Horizons became the fifth spacecraft that will leave the Solar System and enter interstellar space. But unlike the other four, it still has fuel remaining and could boost itself to alter its trajectory. In the aftermath of the ESA’s Gaia mission, we now can predict where more than a billion stars in the Milky Way will be located up to a million years in the future, raising the possibility that we could alter New Horizon’s trajectory to encounter another solar system in the distant future.