Quote:
Originally Posted by robross
Were these probes designed with instruments to be used specifically when they got past, say the orbit of Pluto? Or have we just been using the normal NASA kung-fu and making use of instruments originally designed for other purposes?
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They were designed for the primary mission (Jupiter/Saturn) at a minimum, but I'm sure a lot of overdesign gave them the confidence it would extend past that.
I'm sure there was plenty of decisions made based on not knowing if there would be future funding.
But; on the voyager site, there's a
good chart on the expectations of components at this point in the game.