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Pioneer 10, carrying controversial Earth message, launched today in 1972
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It was a daring adventure, one that ignited a firestorm of criticism but led to record-breaking achievements in unmanned space exploration. The incredible Pioneer 10, last heard from on January 23, 2003, was launched from Cape Kennedy aboard an Atlas rocket on Mar. 2, 1972.
Shown above: the gold-anodized plaque carried onboard both Pioneer 10 and 11. Dr. Carl Sagan pushed for the inclusion of a message to extraterrestials, written in symbols . He and a quick-working team, created the plaque in about three weeks.
The plaque made many people very unhappy. Some protested because the cartoon-like figures were naked. Others said the symbols were based on Earth-centric cultures and therefore would be too hard for aliens to decode. Some worried the plaque's hieroglyphics would provide aggressive aliens a clear map to Earth.
Regardless of human wrangling, the small robot left home for adventures unknown. Pioneer 10 was the first man-made object to leave our solar system and sail on into interstellar space. NASA summarizes the mission as:
...the first spacecraft to travel through the Asteroid belt, the first spacecraft to make direct observations and obtain close-up images of Jupiter... Until February 1998, Pioneer 10 was the most remote object ever made by man. Traveling faster, Voyager 1 has since acheived a greater distance from the Sun.
In 2003, NASA marked the end of communications with Pioneer 10 with some comments from project officials:
"Pioneer 10 was a pioneer in the true sense of the word. After it passed Mars on its long journey into deep space, it was venturing into places where nothing built by humanity had ever gone before," said Dr. Colleen Hartman, director of NASA's Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington. "It ranks among the most historic as well as the most scientifically rich exploration missions ever undertaken," she said.
"Originally designed for a 21-month mission, Pioneer 10 lasted more than 30 years. It was a workhorse that far exceeded its warranty, and I guess you could say we got our money's worth," said Pioneer 10 Project Manager, Dr. Larry Lasher.
Pioneer 10 explored Jupiter, traveled twice as far as the most distant planet in our solar system, and as Earth's first emissary into space, is carrying a gold plaque that describes what we look like, where we are, and the date when the mission began. Pioneer 10 will continue to coast silently as a ghost ship into interstellar space, heading generally for the red star Aldebaran, which forms the eye of the constellation Taurus (The Bull). Aldebaran is about 68 light- years away. It will take Pioneer 10 more than two million years to reach it.
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