HOME | DD

Description

Pioneer 5 (launched 1960 by NASA) was launched on a heliocentric orbit that sent it to the space between the Earth and Venus where it confirmed the existence of interplanetary magnetic fields.

To us, Pioneer 5 was a pretty primitive spacecraft. It could only transmit at a rate of 1, 8, and 64 bit/s, and many of its instruments failed to collect any data. But it was the first solar probe and pioneered deep space technologies that would ultimately lead to missions like the Parker Solar Probe.

Description

Pioneer 5 (launched 1960 by NASA) was launched on a heliocentric orbit that sent it to the space between the Earth and Venus where it confirmed the existence of interplanetary magnetic fields.

To us, Pioneer 5 was a pretty primitive spacecraft. It could only transmit at a rate of 1, 8, and 64 bit/s, and many of its instruments failed to collect any data. But it was the first solar probe and pioneered deep space technologies that would ultimately lead to missions like the Parker Solar Probe.