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Missions and Programs

Pioneer Program

Robotic Outer Solar System and Small-Body Missions

Two series of United States lunar and planetary space probes: the first (1958 to 1960) attempted early lunar missions and interplanetary exploration, and the second (1965 to 1992) explored the outer planets, Venus and space weather. NASA managed the program overall. Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 became two of the first human-made objects to attain solar-system escape velocity.

Facts
Mission Type
Series of lunar and planetary probes 1
Launch Date
1958-08-17 1
Outcome
Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 became two of the first human-made objects to achieve solar-system escape velocity, among other results across the program's nine successes, ten failures and one partial failure. 1
Partially Attested
End Date
1992-10-22 1
Date is when the final spacecraft of the second Pioneer series (1965-1992), the Pioneer Venus Orbiter, was destroyed reentering Venus's atmosphere, marking the practical end of that series; no single source states an exact program-close date beyond the year 1992.
Connections

Associated With

Pioneer 10, Spacecraft

Operated By

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Pioneer program, lead section
    The Pioneer programs were two series of United States lunar and planetary space probes.
  • Pioneer program, Able space probes 1958-1960 section (mission table)
    Pioneer 0, Thor-Able 1, Pioneer, Lunar orbiter, Destroyed (Thor failure 77 seconds after launch), August 17, 1958
  • Pioneer program, Pioneer 10 and 11 section
    Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 became the first two of five artificial objects to achieve the escape velocity that will allow them to leave the Solar System
  • Pioneer Venus Orbiter, Wikipedia, End of mission section
    The Pioneer Venus Orbiter disintegrated upon entering the atmosphere of Venus on October 22, 1992.
  • Operated By: NASA, Pioneer program, Early missions section
    This included the first launch by NASA which was formed from the old NACA.
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