Classification:
Flyby spacecraft.Mission
: Jupiter, Saturn, and interstellar space.Features:
Pioneer 10 and 11 launched in 1972 and 1973, and penetrated the asteroid belt. Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to study Jupiter and its environment, and obtain spin-scan images of the planet. Pioneer 11 also encountered Jupiter, and went on to become the first to encounter Saturn, its rings and moons. Pioneers 10 and 11 are still operative in the far reaches of the outer solar system, and are still being tracked in November 1995. Pioneer 11 has insufficient electrical power to continue operations, and is expected to lose communications with Earth within a few months. It is likely that Pioneer 10 will follow suit within a few years.Stabilization: Spin stabilized.
Also see the Pioneer Project Home Page.
