We have entered into a new era of space exploration. Missions undertaken
during the lunar exploration of the 1960’s typically lasted a matter of
days with commands issued and carried out in near real time. Now, a
decade later, planetary voyages may last for many years as the spiraling
trajectories of the spacecraft make periodic intersections with the
orbits of the planets. Communicating with us across the vastness of
space, these spacecraft report to us their experiences as they traverse
the outer reaches of the solar system.
Among these deep space travelers, Pioneers 10 and 11 are appropriately
named, for they truly are pioneering the exploration of the outer solar
system. Launched in 1972 and in 1973, respectively, they were the first
spacecraft to fly by Jupiter (in 1973 and 1974). At Jupiter, Pioneer
11’s trajectory was carefully targeted to swing it toward Saturn for an
encounter in September 1979. We see some of the early results in this
publication.
Other spacecraft are following along the trail blazed by Pioneer Saturn.
Voyager 1 passed by Jupiter in March 1979 and will reach Saturn in
November 1980. Voyager 2 has also passed beyond Jupiter and will
encounter Saturn in August 1981, with the further possibility of
traveling on to Uranus (a 1986 encounter). Under development are the
Galileo orbiter and atmospheric entry probe, destined to journey to
Jupiter where the orbiter will return more detailed information,
including high-resolution pictures of the Galilean satellites, and the
probe will penetrate deep below the Jovian clouds.
In the coming years, each of these follow-on missions will enrich our
understanding of the solar system, greatly supplementing the
observations of Pioneers 10 and 11. But one thing will never change. The
Pioneers were first.
Thomas A. Mutch
Associate Administrator for Space Science
National Aeronautics and Space Administration