Pioneer 11 Exploring the Outer Solar System
1Pioneer 11 was a spacecraft launched by NASA in 1973 to explore the outer solar system. Its primary mission was to study Jupiter and Saturn and their respective moons. The spacecraft was the first to flyby Jupiter and the second to flyby Saturn, after its sister spacecraft, Pioneer 10.
Pioneer 11 was launched on April 6, 1973, aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket. It traveled over six billion miles through space and made its closest approach to Saturn on September 1, 1979, at a distance of about 13,700 miles from the planet's cloud tops. During its mission, Pioneer 11 discovered new details about the rings of Saturn and studied the planet's atmosphere, magnetic field, and radiation belts.
Pioneer 11 continued its journey beyond Saturn and became the first spacecraft to explore the region beyond the outer planets. It crossed the asteroid belt, passed by the planet Uranus, and eventually reached the outermost boundary of the solar system known as the heliopause. The spacecraft sent its last signal to Earth on November 30, 1995, as it continued to travel into interstellar space.
Pioneer 11 was a groundbreaking mission that provided valuable insights into the outer solar system and helped pave the way for future explorations. Its legacy continues to inspire and inform the work of scientists and engineers as they seek to learn more about the universe we live in.