Newsgroups: sci.space
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: solar orbiting probes
Message-ID: <1989Aug30.035121.25094@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1052@electro.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 89 03:51:21 GMT

In article <1052@electro.UUCP> ignac@electro.UUCP (Ignac Kolenko) writes:
>... has anyone launched
>a probe that purposely ended up in solar orbit to study the sun?? ...

Yes.  The "middle" Pioneers, 5 (I think) through 9, were deliberately
modest missions launched into solar orbit.  Among other things, their
data provided some limited degree of solar-storm forecasting for the
Apollo missions.

>...any benefit to doing so rather than keeping the probe in orbit 
>around the earth (ie: solar max mission)??

Yes.  Near-Earth satellites see what the Sun is doing from one angle only,
and sense the solar wind etc. at one point in the Sun's huge atmosphere.
There is a lot to be said for studying it from several positions at once.

>by the way, what's the oldest probe/satellite that we still have contact
>with?? anything from the 60's still communicating??

Yes.  If I recall correctly, Pioneer 6 is still active, and it was launched
in 1965.  In fact, several of that series are still active.
-- 
V7 /bin/mail source: 554 lines.|     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
1989 X.400 specs: 2200+ pages. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu