The probe Pioneer 10 (not to be confused with the lunar probe Pioneer X) launched the March 3rd 1972 was the first object manufactured by the human ones to leave the Solar system (either to cross the Héliopause in 1987).

Mission

The first part of its mission (as for his/her sister Pioneer 11) consisted to fly over and photograph the planet Jupiter, which it carries out in 1973, no probe was until this date ventured beyond the belt of asteroids extending between the orbits from Mars and Jupiter. The launcher Atlas-Centaur on three floors (ever used before) achieves its task suitably and propelled Pioneer 10 of Cape Kennedy towards Jupiter at the speed record of: 51810  km/h. After having passed without encumbers this Ceinture of asteroids, the probe moved towards Jupiter, whose attraction accelerated it until: 132000  km/h.

The December 3rd 1973, Pioneer 10 passed to: 130354  km of the top of the clouds of giant planet, fascinating of the photographs of this one as well as its satellite. It transmitted also information on the Radiation S emitted by Jupiter, on its atmosphere and its constitution. These data were of a capital interest for the design of the missions Voyager and Galileo which followed in the years 1990.

Pioneer 10 took then a trajectory towards the outside of the solar system, along which she studied the Solar wind and the cosmic radiations.

The probe used the gravitational Assistance of the planet Jupiter to increase its speed and to enable him to leave quickly the solar system, travels during which she studied the cosmic solar wind and radiations all moving towards the star of Aldébaran, that she should reach in approximately 2 million years.

The mission of the probe came officially to a end the March 31st 1997 mainly for financial reasons. Occasional contacts with the probe continue nevertheless to occur. Thus in 2002, for the 30e birthday of its launching, Pioneer 10, in spite of its age and the conditions which it had met, still functioned (even if many systems had been stopped fault of energy, in particular). The last contact with the probe, very weak, took place the January 22nd 2003. The last attempt at contact in date occurred the February 7th 2003 remained without answer. To date, no new attempt at communication is envisaged with Pioneer 10.

Currently, Pioneer 10 gradually leaves the solar system in the contrary direction with the movement of the Sun in the galaxy. It would be today with more than 80 astronomical units of the Sun, that is to say with more than 12 billion kilometers this one. Pioneer 10 continues to move away from the Sun to more: 44000  km/h always in direction of the star of Aldébaran.

In spite of that, it does not hold the record of distance to the Ground, this one pertaining to Voyager 1 (however part later).

Despite everything, Pioneer 10 remains useful for the scientific community and continuous to provide him likely data of discoveries. Like that concerning its deceleration, that the laws of physics do not explain for the moment. This deceleration, very weak of about 8 X 10 (- 10) m/s ² also affects Pioneer 11. This phenomenon was named the Anomalie Pioneer.

The plate

See also: Plate of Pioneer

Pioneer 10 is also famous to carry a plate of engraved Or on which appear representations of a man, of a woman, solar system (with the approximate trajectory of the probe) and of a Atome of Hydrogène. This plate is explicitly intended to communicate information on its origin with a possible extraterrestrial intelligence, which would find it at the time of its voyage.

The Pioneer anomaly

See also: Anomaly Pioneer

In the Years 1980, the scientists of NASA noticed that the probe moved less quickly than envisaged. This anomaly during some time was put on the account of an error in calculations or of a defect of the probe.

But a few years later, the probe Pioneer 11 reacts in the same manner as his/her big sister. After having tried, in vain, to explain this anomaly of the behavior, the astrophysicists lean more and more for a defect in the current laws of the Celestial mechanics or an effect of the black Matière.

Chronological reference marks

• March 3rd 1972: takeoff of the machine.

• July 15th 1972: the probe enters the Ceinture of asteroids.
• December 3rd 1973: Pioneer 10 sends the first images of Jupiter approximately plane.
• June 13rd 1983: Pioneer 10 exceeds the orbit of Neptune, then the planet furthest away from the Sun because of strong eccentricity of the orbit of Pluton.
• March 31st 1997: end of the mission.
• February 17th 1998: celebrate to be until this date the object manufactured by the man furthest away from the Earth. On this date, the distance to the sun of the probe To travel 1 , in approximate direction of the apex, equalized that of Pioneer 10 with 69.419  ua. Starting from this date the speed of distancing of Voyager 1 exceeds that of Pioneer 10 of approximately 1.016  ua per annum.
• March 2nd 2002: successful reception of telemetry. 39 minutes of data are received since a distance from 79.83  ua.
• April 27th 2002: last successful reception of telemetry. 33 minutes of data are received since a distance from 80.22  ua (more than 12 billion km).
• January 23rd 2003: the last signal, very weak, coming from Pioneer 10 is received.
• February 7th 2003: infructeuse attempt at contact with the probe.
• December 30th 2005: Pioneer 10 is with 89,7   ua of the Sun.
• March 4th 2006: last attempt to come into contact with the probe. No answer of Pioneer 10 .

Anecdotes

Pioneer 10 was a long time the object manufactured by human furthest away from the Earth. But in February 1998, Voyager 1 took this title (while precipitating in an opposite direction but with a speed appreciably more important).

A scale 1 model is in presentation with the national Smithsonian and air space museum with Washington, cd.. It was reconstituted starting from spare parts which had been made at the same time as the probe and had been kept in reserve.

The probe should survive the Earth itself! Indeed, when our Sun becomes (in 5 billion years) a red giantess, exceeding the orbit of the Earth and thus destroying this one, Pioneer 10, will be always travels from there some share in the intersidereal vacuum, leaving for always a trace of the human life in the timeless vastness.

External bond

• Official site of the mission Pioneer

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