{"id":788187,"date":"2024-09-01T06:29:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-01T11:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=788187"},"modified":"2024-09-01T06:29:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01T11:29:55","slug":"pioneer-11-swept-past-saturn-45-years-ago-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=788187","title":{"rendered":"Pioneer 11 swept past Saturn 45 years ago today"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Pioneer 11 caught this image of Saturn when the spacecraft was 1,768,422 miles (2,846,000 km) from the planet. It shows Saturn and its largest moon Titan. Image via NASA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pioneer 11 swept past Saturn 45 years ago today<\/h3>\n

On today\u2019s date \u2013 September 1 \u2013 in the year 1979, NASA\u2019s plucky Pioneer 11 spacecraft became the first earthly craft ever to sweep past the ringed planet Saturn. Incredibly, the spacecraft came within 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of Saturn, crossing the plane of the planet\u2019s rings. In the process, Pioneer 11 found a new ring for Saturn \u2013 now called the \u201cF\u201d ring \u2013 and two new moons. In fact, the spacecraft almost smacked into one of these unknown moons as it soared past. <\/p>\n

Passing Saturn \u2013 and passing it safely \u2013 was an astounding achievement. And indeed, Pioneer 11 was a true pioneer. It went where no earthly spacecraft had gone before.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, Pioneer 11 did what pioneers always do. It laid the groundwork for those that followed. That included the two more sophisticated Voyager spacecraft, which launched from Earth in 1977 and visited Saturn in 1980 and 1981. Part of Pioneer 11\u2019s job was to test a trajectory near Saturn\u2019s rings, to see if it was safe for the upcoming Voyager mission. So, Pioneer 11 passed through the Saturn ring plane, at the same position that the Voyager probes would use some years later. The idea was that \u2013 if there were faint ring particles that could damage a probe in that area \u2013 mission planners would prefer to let Pioneer 11 take the damage, rather than the Voyagers.<\/p>\n

Cassini mission<\/h3>\n

In addition, Pioneer 11 also preceded the wonderful Cassini mission, which orbited Saturn \u2013 weaving among its moons \u2013 from 2004 to 2017. Amd Cassini provided unprecedented and spectacular views of Saturn and its rings and moons. <\/p>\n

The Voyagers were cutting-edge. And Cassini returned images beyond anyone\u2019s wildest dreams. <\/p>\n

But Pioneer 11 paved the way.<\/p>\n

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48 years ago #Today<\/a>, Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to go beyond the orbit of Saturn pic.twitter.com\/ocsJ0Jt9Tu<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) February 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The 2 Pioneers had different missions<\/h3>\n

There were two Pioneer spacecraft. The other was called Pioneer 10. Both Pioneers visited Jupiter, and Pioneer 11 went on to Saturn, to investigate its rings and moons. <\/p>\n

Scientists said that Pioneer 11 enabled them to get a sense of Saturn\u2019s internal composition. As a matter of fact, Saturn is not very dense. So it\u2019s long been said that, if you could find an ocean large enough to hold it, Saturn would float on water. Pioneer 11 showed Saturn likely has a relatively small core for an outer gas giant world. In fact, with only 10 times Earth\u2019s mass, Saturn was found by Pioneer 11 to be mostly liquid hydrogen.<\/p>\n

Pioneer 11 (probably) still sails on<\/h3>\n

Pioneer 11\u2019s last transmission reached Earth on November 24, 1995. And so the mission has ended. But Pioneer 11 is one of five spacecraft whose trajectories ultimately will carry them out of our solar system. So, unless something has stopped it (highly unlikely!), Pioneer 11 is still sailing outward, away from Earth, into the depths of space. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s moving in the direction of our constellation Scutum. Scutum is next to Sagittarius, which is in the general direction of the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The craft will pass near the star Lambda Aquila some four million years from now.<\/p>\n

\"Oblique
Here\u2019s Pioneer 11\u2018s trajectory from launch in 1974 to its Saturn encounter in 1979 \u2026 and beyond. Image via NASA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
Artist\u2019s concept shows Pioneer 10 as it leaves the solar system. Pioneer 10 relayed its last, weak message to Earth on January 22, 2003, from a distance of 7.3 billion miles (11.7 billion kilometers). Image via NASA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Pioneers carry plaques<\/h3>\n

In addition, like the Voyagers, the Pioneers carry a message from humanity to the stars. They each carry a gold-anodized aluminum plaques, showing the nude figures of a human male and female along with several symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft. <\/p>\n

Would an advanced race be able to interpret humanity\u2019s message? It\u2019s hard to say. But \u2013 like the Voyagers\u2019 golden records \u2013 the Pioneer plaques helped raise the consciousness of human beings back on Earth.<\/p>\n

\"Drawing
The Pioneer plaque, which Carl Sagan helped design and place aboard the 1st 2 spacecraft ever to leave Earth for interstellar space, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
Here\u2019s the plaque attached to Pioneer 10. The plaques were attached to the spacecraft\u2019s antenna support struts in a position that would shield them from erosion by interstellar dust. Image via Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bottom line: Pioneer 11 came closest to Saturn on September 1, 1979.<\/p>\n

Read more: Pioneer 11: Watching the Saturn watchers<\/p>\n

Pioneer: First to Jupiter, Saturn and Beyond<\/p>\n

Visit Cassini spacecraft image Hall of Fame<\/p>\n

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Editors of EarthSky<\/h4>\n

View Articles\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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About the Author:<\/h6>\n

The EarthSky team has a blast bringing you daily updates on your cosmos and world. We love your photos and welcome your news tips. Earth, Space, Sun, Human, Tonight. Since 1994.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n