Pioneer 10, launched from Kennedy
Space Center, Fla., on March 2, 1972,
is the first spacecraft assigned to probe
the cosmic debris forming the asteroid
belt and to observe at close range
the colorful giant of the planets, Jupiter.
After sweeping by Jupiter, Pioneer will
escape our solar system-the first
manmade object to do so.
Pioneer reached the orbit of Mars on
May 25, 1972. Once beyond Mars orbit,
Pioneer sailed into an unexplored
region. It entered the asteroid belt on
July 15. Among the perils it encountered
are the innumerable fast-moving bits and
pieces of asteroids which are either
a stage in the formation of a planet
or the residue of an exploded planet.
Pioneer is helping assess the hazards
the belt presents to spacecraft. It is also
increasing the accuracy of estimates
of the number of small particles in
the belt.
In the vicinity of Jupiter, Pioneer may be
endangered by the Jovian radiation
field which is estimated to be a million
times as intense as Earth's Van Allen
Radiation Region. If Pioneer is not
crippled by radiation damage, it will
provide additional information about n
the radiation field and significantly
increase knowledge about Jupiter
itself.
Pioneer 10 will also send back
information about interplanetary space
up to the limits of the spacecraft-
Earth communications system, which
extends to the orbit of Uranus, about 3.2
billion kilometers (2 billion miles) away.
Pioneer may also sample interstellar
space matter, which is believed to invade
the solar system beyond Jupiter, where
the solar wind and solar magnetic fields
are thought to weaken considerably.
Between the planets, Pioneer is
providing information on nuclear
particles such as cosmic rays rushing
into the solar system from interstellar
and intergalactic space at speeds near
I->. ~that of light. Nuclear accelerators used
on Earth in nuclear particle experiments
can never match these speeds. Pioneer
is also contributing to the study of the
Sun's magnetic fields and how they link
the atomic particles of the solar wind
(mostly protons of the hydrogen atom)
into a collisionless ionized gas, or
collisionless plasma. When man can
apply the process on Earth, he may
be able to produce vast supplies
of electric power without polluting
thA AnvirnnmAnt
Jupiter-Giant Planet of the Solar System
Jupiter's mass is 318 times that of the
Earth and more than twice that of
all the other planets combined. Because
it is mostly composed of hydrogen
and helium, its comparative volume
is even greater-about a thousand times
thp F~rth'~
Jupiter appears to radiate four times
the heat that it receives from the Sun,
and scientists speculate that the heat
may be derived from continuing
~ gravitational collapse and radioactive
elements in the planet's core.
Hydrogen-the most abundant element
of the Universe and of the Sun-is also
the most abundant element of Jupiter.
Also identified are the simple
compounds methane (hydrogen and
carbon) and ammonia (hydrogen and
nitrogen). Scientists believe that helium
and oxygen are also present because
they say Jupiter is a primitive planet
and still contains all of the elements
identified on the Sun. Another
assumption is that Jupiter's oxygen
combines with its abundant hydrogen
to form water.
Scientists concluded years ago that life
forms on Earth first appeared in the
planet's primitive environment of water,
hydrogen, methane, and ammonia. In
laboratory experiments on Earth, this
kind of mixture, subjected to electric
discharge, heat, or ultraviolet radiation,
generates organic molecules. Vast
discharges of electricity (Ii.ghtning)
probably occur on Jupiter; the planet
radiates heat; and thus, a life-generation
situation exists in Jupiter's environment.
The temperature of Jupiter is believed
to climb steadily from -130°C
(-200°F) at its cloud tops to an
estimated 11,000°C (20,000° F) at its
core. Between the two extremes,
temperature, moisture, and atmospheric
conditions may be hospitable for life
forms. These conditions could occur
somewhere within the dense clouds of
Jupiter, and life forms may float or
swim about.
Jupiter is blanketed by dense clouds
with bands in bright hues of yellow-
orange and blue-gray. The cloud bands
appear to be visual evidence of
atmospheric currents comparable to
those on Earth. Detailed study of the
cloud bands, made possible by Pioneer
and future spacecraft, can increase
insight into the circulation of Earth's
atmosphere and contribute to
~~ understanding of and accuracy in
forecasts of weather and of changes in
climate.
The circulation of the Earth's
atmosphere is partially affected by the
Earth's rotation which, at the equator,
is at the rate of about 1600 kilometers
per hour (km/hr) or 1000 mph. Jupiter's
rotation is about 22 times as fast
(35,200 km/hr or 22,000 mph.). Jupiter,
despite its vast size relative to Earth,
has a 10-hour day. Jupiter's fast
rotation can theoretically provide, in a
short time, a time-lapse picture of
weather changes comparable to those
during a longer period on Earth.
An intriguing feature of Jupiter is its
mysterious Great Red Spot that drifts
about and sometimes nearly disappears.
Its nature may be determined by
Pioneer and other spacecraft that make
close-range observations.
The Jupiter Flyby and Beyond
In December 1973, Pioneer 10 will
reach Jupiter, passing over two thirds of
the planet during a hundred-hour flyby
 that will bring it as close as 140,000
kilometers (87,000 miles) to Jupiter's
cloud tops. If flight directors can
adjust its orbit properly, Pioneer will
also pass behind the Jovian satellite, 10.
10, about as big as Earth's Moon,
is orange colored and may have an
atmosphere. Its shadow on Jupiter
seems hotter than the surrounding
sunlit areas, and its passage around
Jupiter is marked by massive electric
discharges (lightning) in Jupiter's
atmosphere. As Pioneer goes behind
10, its radio waves will be affected by the
satellite's ionosphere, if any. Analyses
of the changes in the radio waves
will tell whether and perhaps what kind
of atmosphere 10 has. A similar
technique will be used to analyze
Jupiter's atmosphere.
Jovian gravity will accelerate Pioneer
from an approach speed of 33,000 km/hr
(20,000 mph) relative to Jupiter to
126,000 km/hr (78,000 mph). The
swingby of Jupiter will eventually leave
the spacecraft with a speed of 41,400
km/hr (25,700 mph), enough to escape
the solar system. In 1987, Pioneer is
expected to cross the orbit of Pluto
and journey among the star systems of
the Milky Way galaxy.

Keeping In Touch
Pioneer's mission makes far-reaching
demands on communications. At the
distance of Jupiter, Pioneer's signal will
reach Earth with a power of one-
quadrillionth (1/1,000,000,000,000,000)
watt. If this power were accumulated
for 19 million years, it could light a
71/2-watt electric light bulb for a
thousandth of a second. But NASA's
Deep Space Network can receive this
and even fainter signals and amplify
them to useful strenth.

The problem of communication becomes

even more complex when it is realized
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