The current Pioneer Program was initiated in November 1962 to provide unmanned spacecraft missions for the scientific exploration of interplanetary space on a continuing basis. Five flights have been approved through 1968, of which the first, Pioneer VI, was launched December 16, 1965. It has been an outstanding success and continues to report excellent data as range exceeds 80 million miles. Pioneer B, the second mission of the current series, will be launched by a Thrust Augmented Improved Delta from the Kennedy Space Flight Center no earlier than August 17. The spacecraft, illustrated on the cover, is identical to Pioneer VI. It is to be injected into a solar orbit reaching a distance of about 1.1 A. U. from the sun, and is instrumented to measure magnetic field, particulate radiation and electron density in interplanetary space. Tracking and communications will be maintained by the Deep Space Network (DSN). After being successfully injected into an interplanetary trajectory, the spacecraft will be designated Pioneer VII.
Pioneer B Flight Mission
1966
19 pages
Report
No indication
English
NTIS | 1967
NTIS | 1969
NTIS | 1968
NTRS | 1977
|NTRS | 1976
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