Milestones in Space

Two milestones in space exploration today.

The first is that the Voyager 1 probe has probably left the Solar System, 35 years into its epic journey.

Voyager I

The second is the launch of the Dragon cargo spacecraft on the first commercial mission to resupply the International Space Station - the first of twelve missions that SpaceX is contracted to undertake for NASA.

The Dragon spacecraft seen from the ISS

The first shows the triumph of the unmanned space probes and the second is a long-belated entry of private enterprise into space following the time and effort squandered on the dead-end that was NASA's shuttle programme.