What was the purpose Pioneer 10?
Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel through the Asteroid belt and the first to make direct observations of an outer planet. Pioneer 10’s mission was to study Jupiter’s atmosphere, magnetosphere and satellites, particularly Io, as well as solar wind parameters and dust distribution.
What was the purpose of Pioneer 10 and 11?
Mission objectives The major objectives of the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions were: to investigate the interplanetary medium beyond the orbit of Mars; to study the asteroid belt and to assess possible hazards of the asteroid belt for missions to outer planets; and. to measure the near environment of Jupiter in situ.
What did Pioneer 10 learn about Jupiter?
During its Jupiter encounter, Pioneer 10 imaged the planet and its moons, and took measurements of Jupiter’s magnetosphere, radiation belts, magnetic field, atmosphere, and interior. These measurements of the intense radiation environment near Jupiter were crucial in designing the Voyager and Galileo spacecraft.
Did Pioneer 10 leave the solar system?
In December 1973, after successfully negotiating the asteroid belt and a distance of 620 million miles, Pioneer 10 reached Jupiter and sent back to Earth the first close-up images of the spectacular gas giant. On June 13, 1983, the NASA spacecraft left the solar system.
What did the Pioneer 11 accomplish?
Goals: Pioneer 11 was the first mission to explore Saturn and the second spacecraft in humanity’s early reconnaissance of the outer solar system. The spacecraft carried instruments to study magnetic fields, the solar wind and the atmospheres, moons and other aspects of Jupiter and Saturn.
What did the Pioneer 10 do on Jupiter?
What was the name of the Greek god who carried Ganymede?
Zeus, a counterpart of Jupiter in Roman mythology, carried Ganymede, who had taken the form of an eagle, to Olympus, where he became a cupbearer to the Olympian gods and one of Zeus’ lovers. Several spacecraft have flown by Jupiter and its moons. Pioneer 10 arrived first, in 1973, followed by Pioneer 11 in 1974.
Why was the moon of Jupiter named after Ganymede?
Galileo’s discovery eventually led to the understanding that planets orbit the sun, instead of our solar system revolving around Earth. Galileo called this moon Jupiter III. When the numerical naming system was abandoned in the mid-1800s, the moon was named after Ganymede, a Trojan prince in Greek mythology.
What kind of instruments did Pioneer 10 use?
Of the spacecraft’s 11 scientific instruments, 6 operated continuously through the encounter. The spacecraft passed by a series of Jovian moons, obtaining photos of Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa (but not of Io, as the photopolarimeter succumbed to radiation by that time).