The Voyager space crafts have set numerous records in their unparalleled journeys. These remote ambassadors still beam messages back to Earth 40 years later, with data from their deep space travels.

In 2012, Voyager 1, which launched on Sept. 5, 1977, became the only spacecraft to have entered interstellar space.

Voyager 2, launched on Aug. 20, 1977, is the only spacecraft to have flown by all four outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Now, 40 years later, Voyager 1 is really far from Earth, about 13 billion miles from Earth in interstellar space, and Voyager 2 is not far behind. Moving at a velocity of 15.4 km/s (55,000 km/h) relative to the Sun as of December 2014, it is passing through the so-called heliosheath to interstellar space.