The program Pioneer of space probes was conceived for planetary exploration. Many missions of this program, most remarkable are Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, which explored external planets and left our Solar system. Both transport a gold plate (see Plaque of Pioneer), describing a man and a woman as well as information on the origin and the creators of the probe, so of extraterrestrial find them one day.

The Large Turn

At the end of the Years 1950, NASA had set up a great exploration program of the Solar system. It was to benefit from an exceptional configuration which was to make it possible to visit all external planets with only one space probe. This program was called the Grand Turn and was based on the SIGNALS project, whose NASA was the single project superintendent. But of the budgetary restrictions forced the agency to fold up itself on a less expensive solution. It decided to resort to the Pioneer platforms, manufactured by Hugues Industrie, and which had already proven reliable (Programme Pioneer). The probes Pioneer F and G, renamed then 10 and 11, would be satisfied to explore Jupiter, and perhaps one of the two probes could be deviated until Saturn.

Pioneer 10 took off on March 2nd 1972 and was launched with a remarkable precision towards Jupiter. The trajectory of Pioneer was stabilized by gyroscopic effect in a their printing light rotation movement. Blow, the orientation of the measuring instruments could not be modified. In spite of that the mission particularly was successful and of many measurements and images were collected. Pioneer 10 was the first space probe to cross the Ceinture of asteroids. One could, on this occasion, to realize that it was not made up of a multitude of meteorites, but rather strewn with large asteroids. The shortest distance with Jupiter was reached on December 3rd, 1973. Since, it continues its race in space in direction of Aldébaran in the constellation of the bull.

Pioneer 11 was launched in its turn on April 5th 1973, after Pioneer 10 had left the belt of asteroids. The mission Pioneer 10 had sufficiently been successful to turn now to Saturn. The engineers used, for that, the effect of Jupiter sling, which was reached on December 3rd, 1974. Pioneer 11 passed closest to Saturn on September 1st, 1979.

Venus exploration

To make up for its lost time on the Soviets in the knowledge of Venus, NASA decided after having sent several Mariner probes, to prepare a great mission of exploration towards close planet. It would be based on two probes Pioneer, 12 and 13, renamed Venus 1 and 2.

Pioneer Venus 1 was launched on May 28th, 1978 and was placed in orbit around Venus on December 4th of the same year.

Pioneer Venus 2 was launched on August 8th. It carried four capsules which it released in the Venusian atmosphere on December 9th. The probe principal itself plunged on Venus. Only one of the four capsules continued to emit starting from the ground, but the others had been able to study the chemical composition of the atmosphere. In particular, the analysis of the concentrations in Deutérium made it possible to support the assumption that Venus had formerly had a great quantity of water.

Pioneer anomaly

See also: Anomaly Pioneer

The advance of the Sonde Pioneer 10 has, as of the beginning of the Années 1980, intrigue the astronomers. Indeed, while progressing at its current speed of 12 km/s, it should have traversed more way than the actually traversed distance.

Since, the phenomenon was confirmed on Pioneer 11 but it was not observed on the Sondes Travel, because their speed is known with less precision.

Various assumptions, first of all technical, were formulated to explain this deceleration of Pioneer. In particular, the engineers wondered about the possibility of a gas leak. With time, this assumption was rejected but of other technical assumptions are still considered. However, the astronomers who also try to bring answers because it is possible that the Pioneer anomaly calls into question the laws of the gravitation, or although it allows them contrary to revealing the existence, still hypothetical, of the black Matière.

Probes

  • Pioneer 0 - Satellite lunar, destroyed during launching (Whitebait 1)
  • Pioneer 1 - Satellite lunar, lack the Moon because of a bad launching (Whitebait 2)
  • Pioneer 2 - Satellite lunar, destroyed during launching (Whitebait 3)
  • Pioneer 3 - Overflight of the the Moon, lack the Moon because of a bad launching
  • Pioneer 4 - Overflight of the the Moon, reached the Escape velocity of the Ground
  • Pioneer X - Probe lunar, lack the Moon because of a bad launching
  • Pioneer Y - lunar Probe , failure at the time of the placing in lunar orbit
  • Pioneer Z - lunar Probe , lost because of a faulty operation of the last stage of the launcher
  • Pioneer 5 - interplanetary Space between the Earth and Venus
  • Pioneer 6,7,8 and 9 - interplanetary Space “weather network”
  • Pioneer has - interplanetary Space “weather network”
  • Pioneer B - interplanetary Space “weather network”
  • Pioneer C - Space interplanetary “weather network”
  • Pioneer D - interplanetary Space “weather network”
  • Pioneer E - interplanetary Space “weather network”, destroyed during launching
  • Pioneer 10 - Jupiter, major interstellar Space
  • Pioneer 11 - Jupiter, Saturn, major interstellar Space
  • Pioneer H - identical to the probes Pioneer 10 and 11 (F & G)
  • Pioneer Come 1 - the satellite Pioneer Come To orbit of the Come Pioneer program (Pioneer 12)
  • Pioneer Come 2 - probe Pioneer Venus from the program Pioneer Venus (Pioneer 13)
  • Honest Pioneer Venus 1 - Part of the program of probes Pioneer Venus
  • Pioneer Venus Honest 2 - Part of the program of probes Pioneer Venus
  • Pioneer Venus Honest 3 - Part of the program of probes Pioneer Venus
  • Pioneer Venus Honest 4 - Part of the program of probes Pioneer Venus
  • Pioneer 1P

It will be noticed that the classification of the probes knew many changes and several probes carry multiple references and who could change during their construction with the liking of the evolutions of the organization of the program.

See too

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