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A N EDUCAT ION AL PUBLICATION OF THE

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It NAT IONAL A ERONAUTIC S AND SPACE ADM I NISTRATION
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.t NF-31 / VO L. IV, NO . 3

The Pioneer Spacecrall

1 Model of Pionee r superimposed upon a simulated space
background .
MONITORS OF INTERPLANETARY SPACE
NASA's sun-orbiting Pioneer spacecraft are sur-
veying interp lanetary space and cont ributing to
knowledge by which the great solar f lares that
could peril travelers to the moon and beyond may
be forecast. Solar flares are particularly sharp out-
bursts of the sun , some of wh ich hurl dangerous
radiation into space.
Pioneers also increase understand ing about
events on earth because sola r and interstellar
phenomena have to pass th rough interp lanetary
space to reach and influence our te rrestrial
environme nt.
Today ' s Pioneers have the same name as several
earlie r spacecraft. The last of the ea rlier group
was Pioneer V, la unched March 11 , 1960. Radio
communication was maintained with Pioneer V
until June 26 , 1960, when the craft was 22.5
million miles from earth , establish ing a record
for long-distance communication that stood for
several years . Among its other ach ievements,
Pioneer V confirmed the existence of previously
theorized interplanetary magnetic fields.
First of the new Pioneers wa s Pioneer VI ,
launched December 16, 1965, into an orbit
between earth and Ven us. On August 17, 1966,
Pioneer VII was la un ched into an orb it between
earth and Mars. In addition to such orbits, plans
call for launching Pioneer into rou ghly the same
orbit as earth but leading or lagging ou r planet by
several million miles. The Pioneer program is
managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, Moun-
tain View, Cali fornia.
The objective of the Pioneer program is to study
interp lanetary space continuously from widely
separated points during an entire solar cycle. The
solar cycle is an eleven -year period du ri ng wh ich
the frequency and intensity of sola r eruptions go
from a maximum to a minimum and then again to
a maximum.

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 Scientists are correlating data from Pioneers
and also comparing such data with information
from other interplantary spacecraft such as Mari-
ner and from earth-orbiting satellites such as the
Orbiting Geophysical Observatories and Explorers.
Scientists believe that greater knowledge of
interplanetary events and their effects on the
earth's environment gained through such studies
can contribute to weather forecasting and control
and to communications on earth .
A NEW LOOK AT INTERPLANETARY SPACE
As Pioneers soar along their distant paths through
space, they report on the solar wind, also called
the solar plasma . The wind speeds outward from
the sun's turbulent surface to well beyond the orbit
of Mars. Scientists now consider the wind an
extension of the sun's corona, or atmosphere .
The wind is unlike that which we know on earth .
For one thing, it is extremely thin and can be
detected only by sensitive instruments. Pioneer
VI data indicate the wind is made up of 50 to 150
ions (atomic particles) of hydrogen, helium , and
other elements per cubic inch of space. Earth 's
atmosphere is made up of about 3XI020 (300
quintill ion or 3 followed by 20 zeros) atoms of
air per cubic inch. The best artificial vacuums on
earth have several million atoms of air per cubic
inch .
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2 Pioneer V.

3 Space coverage provided by

Pioneers VI and VII.

4 Diagram shows magnetic lines of

force emanating from the sun
into interplanetary space . (See text .)

s Diagram shows how Pioneer VII

may have pased through ear:th ' s
magnetic field at a distance of more
than 3 million miles from earth .

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 The maximum velocity of the solar wind has
been clocked by Pioneer VI at nearly 1,700,000
miles per hour. The wind's velocity varies with
solar activity during a solar cycle. Abrupt increases
in velocity follow solar flares .
The indicated temperature of particles in the
solar wind is about a million degrees Fahrenheit.
The high temperature and extreme veloc ity make
the solar wind more comparable to the blast of a
rocket than to any other thing we know here on
earth.
Other data from Pioneer VI indicate that the
solar wind arrived at the spacecraft as much as
10 degrees off of a straight line between the
Pioneer VI and the sun. The solar wind had been
thought to move straight outward from the sun's
surface.
The solar wind draws out the sun's magnetic
field to form interplanetary magnetic fields. Pio-
neer and other studies indicate that the lines of
force of the magnetic field transported into space
by the solar wind are twisted like streams of water
from a whirling lawn sprinkler. This effect is
caused by the sun's rotation in combination with
the radial (outward) motion of the solar wind. The
sun makes a complete rotation on its ax is about
every 27 days.
- - - - -_ _ _ SOLAR WIND
Pioneer VI indicated that the sun 's magnetic
field appears to be snarled near the sun and
becomes more so as it is drawn out by the solar
wind . The magnetic lines of force also appear to
be twisted about each other.
The solar wind also affects ea rth's magnetic
field (the geomagnetic field) . On t he side toward
the sun , the solar wind compresses the geo-
magnetic field to a distance of 25 ,000 to 40,000
miles . On the other side, it blows t he geomagnetic
field an indeterminate number of miles out in
space. Pioneer VII detected the effects of the geo-
magnetic field more than 3 mill ion miles out in
space. It also indicated that the wind may cause
the lengthy wake , or ta il, of the geomagnetic field
to wave back and forth like a flag in a stiff breeze.
Another form of matter generated by the sun
is cosmic ray s. Cosmic rays in ou r solar system
also originate el sewhere in interstellar or inter-
galactic space .
Cosmic rays , like the solar wind , are atomic
pa rticles. They are made up of protons (nuclei
of hyd rogen atom s) , alpha particles (nuclei of
helium atom s) , nuclei of atoms heavier than
hydrogen or helium , and elect rons . Cosmic rays
are t he most penetrating form of harmful radia-
tion known. Solar flares and oth er erupt ions gen-
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erally produce cosmic rays.
The energies of cosmic rays range in the
millions , billions, and trillions of electron volts as
compared to the hundreds and thousands of elec-
tron volts of the solar wind particles. The electron
volt is a unit employed by scientists to measure
charged particles. It is a tiny base for measure-
ment because the matter measured is in itself
infinitesimal. A particle would need 550 sexti ll ion
(55 followed by 22 zeros) electron volts to equal
the energy used by a 25-watt bulb in an hour.
Although cosmic rays are many times more
energetic than solar wind particles , the aggregate
energy of the solar wind is far greater than that
of all cosmic rays in the region of the solar system
for which spacecraft have provided measurements.
This is because in this region solar wind particles
appear to outnumber cosmic rays by about a billion
to one.
Pioneers have provided data indicating that
cosmic rays from the sun spira l around the lines
of force of the solar magnetic field which the solar
wind has pulled out into space. As a result , solar
'cosmic rays speed through interplanetary space
in well-defined streams. Other data have shown
that a stream of solar cosmic rays may last for
hours , indicating the possibility that the sun stores
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cosmic ray particles near its sljrface and releases
them gradua lly.
SPACECRAFT DESCRIPTION
Today's Pioneers are drum -shaped , 35 inches high
and 37 inches in diameter. They weigh about 140
pounds on earth .
The design and construction of the craft empha-
size simplicity which is one way of gain ing maxi-
mum reliability. For example, all orientation
maneuvers are conducted by means of a single
gas jet which operates in brief spurts. The many
thrusts at one point produce wobbling, but this is
taken care of by a wobble damper, con sisting of
two small balls floating inside of a f luid-filled
cylinder. Friction of the balls moving through the
flu id converts the ki netic energy (motion) of the
wobble into heat which is dissipated into space.
The craft's cylindrical exterior is covered with
solar cells divided by a narrow band conta ining
apertures for experiments and sun sensors for
orientation. Solar cells convert sunlight to electric
power for running spacecraft equipment. The
10,368 solar cells can generate 80 watts of power
at earth's distance from the sun. They generate
more when nearer the sun; less, when farther
away. Pioneer is also equipped with a rechargeable
storage battery for use during peak power demands
or when the solar cells are not in ma ximum sun -
light.
Equally spaced around the curved outs ide of the
spacecraft are three booms , each of which is five
feet four inches in length. One holds the gas jet
for spacecraft orientation. Another hold s the sensor
for detecting magnetic fields . A thi rd is tipped by
the wobble damper.
Projecting from the middle of one end is the
spacecraft's radio antenna. Extending from the
rim of the other end is a special radio antenna
used in the radio propagation experiment. Elec-
trons affect radio waves . The radio propagation
experiment indicates the number of electrons
between the spacecraft and earth. For example ,
Pi oneer VI found an average of 90 electrons per
cubi c inch in the regi on betwee n 78 and 92 million
miles f rom th e sun .
Pi onee r is made up of 56,000 parts . It is con-
st ructed prin cipa lly of light-we ight but durab le
aluminum .
Pionee r is ke pt point ing in one directi on in
spa ce by spin stabil izat io n. Th e spacecraft spins
at a rate of 60 revolut io ns per m inute. In effect ,
Pio neer is li ke a gy roscope in th at it spins in order
to point stead ily in on e direction .
The spin preclud es th e need for more complex
stabilizat ion dev ices. It also ena bles Pioneer t o
see and repo rt mu ch mo re t ha n ot herwise, because
ea ch experi ment can scan a full circ le, rather t han
be limited to a single di rection .

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PIONEER MOUNTED ON DELTA THIRD STAGE

SHORT THRU STS
AGAINST SPIN
PIONEER AXIS BRING

I FORCE TO BEAR
IN A PLANE
PERPENDI CULAR
~

OF THRUSTS
(GYROSCOPE

,
TO DIRECTION

EFFECT) . ...
"
SPAC ECRAFT •
MOVES THIS WAY

TAD
PION EER THIRD
STAG E

. . . . AN D TURNS
SPIN AXIS (AND
SPAC ECRAFT)
ABOUT A
SELECTED AXIS
PART FAIRING
OF TAD· (SHROUD)
SECOND ENCLOSES
STAG E. AND PROTECTS
CRAFT DURING
FLIGHT
THROUGH THE
ATMOSPH ERE.
IT FALLS AWAY
IN SPAC E.

7 Diagram shows Pioneer, the fa irin g (shroud) that protects 8 Diagram provid es examp le of how spacecraft's orientati on
the spacecraft during flight through the atmosphere, the is c hanged .
TAD third stage, and part of the TAD second sta ge.
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10 Workers are dwarfed by the massive d ish of th e 210-ft
diameter antenna at the Goldstone, California , Deep Space
Station .
Pioneer is set to spinning by the whirling third
stage of its Thrust-Augmented Delta (TAD) launch
veh icle. The third stage is rotated by a turntable
located on the second stage. This turntable is
timed to start just before separation of t he second
and th i rd stage.
TAD is an improved Delta vehicle wh ose fi rst
stage thru st has been increased by three attached
sol id-propellant rockets. Without its Pi oneer pa y-
load , Delta stands 90 feet high on t he launch pad.
It has a first-stage th rust of 332 ,000 pou nds.
CONTACT MAINTAINED BY
DEEP SPACE NETWORK
Contact with Pioneer spacecraft across mill ions of
miles of space is maintained by means of the
NASA globe-girdling Deep Space Network. Th e
network is equipped to track, monitor , and gather
sc ient ific data f rom spacecraft sent to the moon
and beyond .
11 Another view of the 210-foot diamet er t rack ing and
communicatio ns antenna.
q
Stat ions are located at Goldstone , California ; I
Madrid , Spain ; Woomera and Canberra , Australia ;
Johannesburg , Republ ic of Sou t h Af rica; and
Madrid , Spain . The stations are so spaced around
the globe that com municat ion with spacecraft is
unb roke n despi t e the earth 's rotati on . Th eir 85-
foot diamete r antennas can communicate with a
spacecraft like Pionee r over a di stance of about
50 million miles .
Con tact with Pioneer VI is possible throughout
its journey around the sun when it will reach a
maximum distance of about 180 million miles from
earth. This contact is made by NASA's newest
trac king and telemetry antenna dedicated at Gold -
stone, California , on April 29, 1966. As tall as a
23-story buildin g and with a dish reflecto r 210 feet
across (almost an acre in area) , the antenna can
collect radio signals as faint as one billionth of a
billionth of a watt and amplify them to useful
strength.

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