Arabbit.294
net.space
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!mhtsa!rabbit!sjb
Mon Mar  1 22:15:21 1982
Pioneer's Birthday
Tomorrow, Pioneer 10, the first space probe to reach and pass
Jupiter, will celebrate is 10th birthday in space.  Launched
on 2, March, 1972, Pioneer successfully crossed the asteroid
belt and then Jupiter's radiation belt and is now traversing
out of the solar system, around 3.5 light hours away from Earth.
Since its launch, it has transmitted back invaluable data and
is now studying the boundaries of the sun's atmosphere, created
mostly by the solar wind.  It would also prove valuable in
finding a possible 10th planet, out beyond Pluto, if one
existed.  Radio contact with Pioneer is expected to last until
the craft is about 5 billion miles away, or thoughout the decade.