3.6 Flying Out of the Solar System
177
(10) On January 1, 2016, the Pioneer-10 was predicted to be 114.07 AU from the
Earth, traveling at 12.04 km/s relative to the Sun and outward at about 2.54
AU per year.
(11) On March 29, 2020, the Pioneer-10 was predicted to be 125.96 AU from the
Earth.
At present, the Pioneer-10 is advancing at the velocity of 2.6 AU per year to the
star Aldebaran in the constellation of Taurus, 68 light years away from the Earth.
Supposed that the speed of the Aldebaran relative to the solar system is zero, the
Pioneer-10 will arrive in the Taurus after about two million years.
The Pioneer-11 (also known as Pioneer-G) was the second ultra-deep space probe
successfully launched after the Pioneer-10 to explore the Jupiter and the outer solar
system. The Pioneer-11 used the Jupiter’s powerful gravity to change its orbit and
fly to the Saturn; and then, it flew by the Saturn, and out of the solar system along its
escape orbit. The structure and weight of the Pioneer-11 is as same as those of the
Pioneer-10, and its specific flight paths and key events were as follows:
(1) At 2:11:00 UTC on April 6, 1973, the Pioneer-11 was successfully launched
from the Launch Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
(2) On December 4, 1974, the Pioneer-11 arrived at the distance of 34,000 km away
from the Jupiter. The Great Red Spot of the Jupiter and the clouds over its polar
region were photographed and the mass of its moon Callisto was measured.
With the Jupiter’s powerful gravity assist, the probe changed its orbit and got
the acceleration, flying to the Saturn.
(3) On September 1, 1979, the Pioneer-11 passed through the Saturn’s outer rings
and arrived within 21,000 km of the planet, where two new moons and a new
“F” ring were discovered. The Pioneer-11 also discovered and charted the
magnetosphere and magnetic field, and mapped the general structure of the
Saturn’s interior. The heat radiation from the Saturn’s interior was measured
by the onboard instruments, and its planet-sized moon Titan was also found,
which was too cold to support life. The Pioneer-11 flew through the Saturn’s
rings to test whether the dim rings caused damage to the devices onboard. In the
meantime, the Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 have crossed the Jupiter and headed
for the Saturn. As a pioneer, the Pioneer-11 provided the basis for the actual
flight path selection of the Voyager-1 and Voyager-2.
(4) In February 1985, the batter energy storage of the Pioneer-11 decreased, which
made it difficult to maintain the normal operation of the instruments and devices
at the same time.
(5) On September 30, 1995, the radioisotope thermoelectric generator of the
Pioneer-11 ran out of energy, which was not enough to support the exploration mission and stopped sending telemetry information. At this time, the
Pioneer-11 was located in the distance of 44.7 AU away from the Sun, and the
inclination angle between the spacecraft’s orbital plane and the Sun’s equator
plane was 17.4 degrees.
(6) On March 6, 2011, the Pioneer-11 was predicted to be 82.805 AU away from
the Sun.
177
(10) On January 1, 2016, the Pioneer-10 was predicted to be 114.07 AU from the
Earth, traveling at 12.04 km/s relative to the Sun and outward at about 2.54
AU per year.
(11) On March 29, 2020, the Pioneer-10 was predicted to be 125.96 AU from the
Earth.
At present, the Pioneer-10 is advancing at the velocity of 2.6 AU per year to the
star Aldebaran in the constellation of Taurus, 68 light years away from the Earth.
Supposed that the speed of the Aldebaran relative to the solar system is zero, the
Pioneer-10 will arrive in the Taurus after about two million years.
The Pioneer-11 (also known as Pioneer-G) was the second ultra-deep space probe
successfully launched after the Pioneer-10 to explore the Jupiter and the outer solar
system. The Pioneer-11 used the Jupiter’s powerful gravity to change its orbit and
fly to the Saturn; and then, it flew by the Saturn, and out of the solar system along its
escape orbit. The structure and weight of the Pioneer-11 is as same as those of the
Pioneer-10, and its specific flight paths and key events were as follows:
(1) At 2:11:00 UTC on April 6, 1973, the Pioneer-11 was successfully launched
from the Launch Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
(2) On December 4, 1974, the Pioneer-11 arrived at the distance of 34,000 km away
from the Jupiter. The Great Red Spot of the Jupiter and the clouds over its polar
region were photographed and the mass of its moon Callisto was measured.
With the Jupiter’s powerful gravity assist, the probe changed its orbit and got
the acceleration, flying to the Saturn.
(3) On September 1, 1979, the Pioneer-11 passed through the Saturn’s outer rings
and arrived within 21,000 km of the planet, where two new moons and a new
“F” ring were discovered. The Pioneer-11 also discovered and charted the
magnetosphere and magnetic field, and mapped the general structure of the
Saturn’s interior. The heat radiation from the Saturn’s interior was measured
by the onboard instruments, and its planet-sized moon Titan was also found,
which was too cold to support life. The Pioneer-11 flew through the Saturn’s
rings to test whether the dim rings caused damage to the devices onboard. In the
meantime, the Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 have crossed the Jupiter and headed
for the Saturn. As a pioneer, the Pioneer-11 provided the basis for the actual
flight path selection of the Voyager-1 and Voyager-2.
(4) In February 1985, the batter energy storage of the Pioneer-11 decreased, which
made it difficult to maintain the normal operation of the instruments and devices
at the same time.
(5) On September 30, 1995, the radioisotope thermoelectric generator of the
Pioneer-11 ran out of energy, which was not enough to support the exploration mission and stopped sending telemetry information. At this time, the
Pioneer-11 was located in the distance of 44.7 AU away from the Sun, and the
inclination angle between the spacecraft’s orbital plane and the Sun’s equator
plane was 17.4 degrees.
(6) On March 6, 2011, the Pioneer-11 was predicted to be 82.805 AU away from
the Sun.