Pioneer 11

Pioneer 11 is an American space probe Pioneer series, which was launched aboard a rocket from the type Atlas Centaur on April 6, 1973 at 2:11 UTC from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. 259 kg spacecraft was given the task to explore the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The last contact was made in November 1995.

Mission

Exactly one year after the start of the identical sister probe Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 should dare to venture into the outer solar system. The mission start was delayed by a launch window for Jupiter against Pioneer 10, as it was feared the asteroid belt could be so dense that it would be impassable for a spacecraft. Since this was not the case, Pioneer 11 could start as hoped. Should still be functional the probe after the flyby of Jupiter, they should control the second giant planet Saturn.

As with the Pioneer 10 is on board the Pioneer 11 a Pioneer plaque that contains a message of humanity to any extraterrestrial beings.

Course

  • Pioneer 11 was launched on April 6, 1973, an Atlas - Centaur rocket from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral.
  • The flyby of Jupiter took place at 43,000 km distance from the surface on 3 December 1974. The probe gained around 500 pictures and numerous data.
  • The flyby of Saturn took place on 1 September 1979 in 21,000 km distance instead. In this approx. 400 pictures taken. The probe discovered details of Saturn's rings and a new moon of Saturn. Pioneer 11 was the first spacecraft passed the planet Saturn.
  • On February 23, 1990 Pioneer 11 passed as the fourth alien space vehicle by Pioneer 10, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 Neptune's orbit.
  • Due to lack of fuel, the mission 30 September 1995 has been set. NASA received on 24 November 1995 a final telemetry from Pioneer 11

Results

Although the probe Pioneer 11 mastered the first flyby of Saturn is successful, the scientific results of the mission but were soon extended and surpassed by those of the two Voyager spacecraft. This was because Pioneer 11 partially 'd just like Pioneer 10, the scientific exploration of the outer solar system as a target. Their task was mainly to provide the breakthrough to Jupiter and Saturn at all, so that the next generation of Voyager probes could look at the planet accurately.

Pioneer 11 probe is the one that leaves the solar system with the lowest rate since their trajectory after the swing -by of Jupiter must have a relatively large deviation from the direction of movement. Since it was so even overtaken by the Voyager probes, which were much more active also as Pioneer 10, respectively, are gained between 1990 and 1995 measurement results in the interstellar space played only a minor role.

In their studies of the Pioneer anomaly the measurement data of the probe was again paid more interest. They show a systematic deviation from the expected trajectory, and so confirm the previously observed at Pioneer 10 anomaly.

Current status

Beginning of September 2013 was Pioneer 11 about 88.4 AU (roughly equivalent to 13 billion km or 12 hours of light and 15 light-minutes ) away from the Earth and traveling at 11.4 km / s away from the Sun, which saw a year 2, 4 AE corresponds.

Ecliptic Pioneer program Spaceport Florida Launch Complex 36 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes Galileo (spacecraft) Ulysses (spacecraft) Cassini–Huygens New Horizons Juno (spacecraft) Titan Saturn System Mission Europa Jupiter System Mission – Laplace Titan Mare Explorer Transit (satellite) Nimbus program Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package Apollo 12 Apollo 13 Apollo 14 Apollo 15 Apollo 16 Apollo 17 Lincoln Experimental Satellite Mars 96 Radioisotope heater unit Pioneer 0 Pioneer 2 Pioneer 3 Pioneer 4 Pioneer P-3 Pioneer 5 Pioneer Venus project
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