James Van Allen of the University of Iowa operated Pioneer 10's Geiger-Tube Telescope instrument. The spacecraft continued to make valuable scientific investigations in the outer regions of the solar system until its science mission ended on March 31, 1997. In 1983, Pioneer 10 became the first human-made object to pass the orbit of Pluto, at that time considered the most distant planet from the sun.įollowing its encounter with Jupiter, Pioneer 10 explored the outer regions of the solar system, studying energetic particles from the sun (solar wind), and cosmic rays entering our portion of the Milky Way. Pioneer 10 also took measurements of the gas giant's magnetosphere, radiation belts, magnetic field, atmosphere, and interior. The spacecraft was the first to make direct observations and obtain close-up images of Jupiter. Accelerating to a speed of 82,000 mph (131,200 kilometers per hour), Pioneer 10 passed by Jupiter on Dec. Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt, considered a spectacular achievement, and then headed toward Jupiter. The material in the belt travels at speeds up to 45,000 mph (72,000 kilometers per hour) and ranges in size from dust particles to rock chunks as big as Alaska. On July 15, 1972, Pioneer 10 entered the asteroid belt, a doughnut-shaped area that measures some 175 million miles (280 million kilometers) wide and 50 million miles (80 million kilometers) thick. During the passage by Jupiter, Pioneer 10 also charted Jupiter’s intense radiation belts, located the planet’s magnetic field, and established that Jupiter is predominantly a liquid planet. Launched on March 2, 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt and the first to make direct observations and obtain close-up images of Jupiter. NASA designed five Pioneer spacecraft, all virtually identical and all spin-stabilized.
After Pioneer 10 emerged through the asteroid belt, Pioneer 11 was launched on a similar trajectory on April 5, 1973, like Pioneer 10, on top of an Atlas/Centaur/TE364-4 launch vehicle. This spacecraft was the first one to fly to Jupiter, Saturn, the Milky Way Galaxy and stars. Pioneer 10 was launched toward Jupiter in 1972.
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