Pioneer 10 Has Been Navigation Deep Space For 50 Years, Where Is It Now?
Somewhere near the edge of this solar system, NASA's Pioneer 10 moves deeper into space as it has done for the past 50 years. Onboard it carries a special message. In 2003, 7.6 billion miles away from Earth, Pioneer 10 sent its last message home. Since then, the spacecraft has been sailing into the unknown alone.
One of the main drivers of space exploration is finding the answer to whether people are alone in the universe. The search for extraterrestrial life may sound like science fiction, but top minds at NASA have been working on it for years. New advancements like the James Webb Space Telescope not only try to uncover the mysteries of the universe but also search for planets beyond this solar system that have the potential for life.
Related: NASA Will Fly Your Name Around The Moon
March 2 marked the 50th anniversary of Pioneer 10. NASA honored the small spacecraft for its achievements. The dormant spacecraft is now heading to the star Aldebaran in the Taurus constellation. It will arrive there in about two million years. But despite being a ghost craft, one of the missions the agency commanded pioneer 10 with is still a "go."
Pioneer 10 was the first NASA spacecraft to carry a message from Earth beyond this solar system. Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, which followed, also had a message. Pioneer not only reached Jupiter in 21 months but acquired critical data and more than 500 images from the giant planet and its many moons. It swept through the Asteroid Belt unharmed and went past Neptune and away from all planets. Originally planned as a 21-month mission, Pioneer 10 explored the unknown doing science for 31 years.
The spacecraft's golden plaque with a carved message was the "brainchild of Carl Sagan." The
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