Sujet

Pioneer 10 / 11, reconstructed full-scale mock-up, 1972. Creator: TRW Space & Technology Group.

Légende

For over 30 years, the Pioneer 10 spacecraft sent photographs and scientific information back to Earth. Launched March 2, 1972, it reached speeds of 52,100 kilometers (32,400 miles) per hour on its flight to Jupiter, making it one of the fastest human-made objects ever. After completing an investigation of Jupiter, Pioneer 10 continued on to the outer regions of the solar system, studying solar wind and cosmic rays. Having gone further into space than any other object sent from Earth, Pioneer's last weak signal was received on January 22, 2003, from approximately 12.2 billion kilometers (7.6 billion miles) from Earth. NASA engineers reported that Pioneer 10's radioisotope power source had degraded and was not likely to allow future transmissions. As it drifts into interstellar space, Pioneer 10 will continue to carry a plaque designed to inform intelligent life that may find it about the spacecraft and its origins. The prototype spacecraft displayed here was constructed for NASA by TRW, Inc.

Crédit

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Notre référence

HRM21A89_027

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

141,9Mo (2,1Mo) / 48,3cm x 73,7cm / 5700 x 8700 (300dpi)

Mots clés

technology information education discovery country space exploration research color location century concept spacecraft space exploration space travel discovering seventies United States of America Colour 1970s Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum Educational Institution 20th century air and space museum American America USA scientific institution object united states Heritage Art NASM SPACECRAFT-Unmanned TRW Space & Technology Group TRW Inc. TRW Incorporated Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Inc. Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Incorporated Aluminum Mylar phenolic resins aluminized Kapton synthetic thread Pioneer program Pioneer programme