On April 5, 1973, NASA launched the Pioneer 11 mission into the outer solar system.
Pioneer 11 would become the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn, and it flew by Jupiter and the asteroid belt along the way. It launched about a month after its twin, Pioneer 10. Both spacecraft brought along gold plaques with pictures and messages pertaining to Earth, just in case they encountered any extraterrestrials out in space. The plaques include drawings of naked humans and some symbols and diagrams that explain where the spacecraft came from. Seventeen years after it launched, it became the fourth spacecraft to leave planetary part of the solar system when it flew past Neptune. Pioneer 11 is now on its way toward interstellar space.
Pioneer 11 would become the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn, and it flew by Jupiter and the asteroid belt along the way. It launched about a month after its twin, Pioneer 10. Both spacecraft brought along gold plaques with pictures and messages pertaining to Earth, just in case they encountered any extraterrestrials out in space. The plaques include drawings of naked humans and some symbols and diagrams that explain where the spacecraft came from. Seventeen years after it launched, it became the fourth spacecraft to leave planetary part of the solar system when it flew past Neptune. Pioneer 11 is now on its way toward interstellar space.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00On this day, in space.
00:03On April 5th, 1973, NASA launched the Pioneer 11 mission into the outer solar system.
00:09Pioneer 11 would become the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn,
00:12and it flew by Jupiter and the asteroid belt along the way.
00:15It launched about a year after its twin, Pioneer 10.
00:18Both spacecraft brought along gold plaques with pictures and messages pertaining to Earth,
00:22just in case they encountered any extraterrestrials out in space.
00:26The plaques included drawings of naked humans and some symbols and diagrams
00:29that explained where the spacecraft came from.
00:31Seventeen years after it launched, it became the fourth spacecraft
00:34to leave the planetary part of the solar system when it flew past Neptune.
00:38Pioneer 11 is now on its way toward interstellar space.
00:41And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:43♪ MUSIC ♪