Voyager’s Influence: A Journalist Reflects on Family Planning, Career and Life Milestones

As a journalist, I often find myself reflecting on how my experiences with Voyager have influenced not only my career but also the most significant moments in my life. One of the ways that Voyager has impacted me is through its influence on my family planning. I often tell my daughters, Jennifer and Jessica, that the planets aligned for their births during a five-year window between the Voyager flybys of Saturn in 1981 and Uranus in 1986. Intriguingly, this same timing applied to other Voyager moms like my friends Candy Hansen and Sue Linick, who also started their families during this period.

As experiment representatives for Voyager instruments on a scan platform, Candy worked on the Imaging Science Subsystem, Sue on the Ultraviolet Spectrometer, and Bob Nelson on the Photopolarimeter. In a photograph captured during our time as experiment reps, our heads are carefully positioned to mimic the placement of our respective instruments on the Voyager scan platform. The shared experience of working on Voyager and starting families during this time created a unique bond among us that continues to this day.

Looking back on my journey as an experiment representative for Voyager not only shaped my professional journey but also played a role in the personal milestones that defined my life. Fully embracing the adventures and discoveries of Voyager not only broadened my horizons but also gave me a new perspective on life’s most significant moments.