History Teaches - June 13

[azmouse]

June 13, 1983: NASA's Pioneer 10 leaves our solar system


"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
~Carl Sagan

Pioneer 10 was launched on March 2, 1972 on a mission to Jupiter, sending back the first close-up pictures ever seen of the solar system's largest planet. Pioneer 10 became the first manmade object to leave the solar system when it passed the orbit of Pluto, the most distant planet (although some may say Pluto is not a planet to me it will always be one) from the Sun.

Attached to the probe's exterior wall is a gold-anodized plaque, 6 by 9 inches, that displays a drawing of a human man and woman, a star map marked with the location of the sun, and another map showing the flight path of Pioneer 10. The plaque, intended for intelligent life forms elsewhere in the galaxy, was designed by astronomer Carl Sagan.

Pioneer 10 will pass within three light years of another star in the year 34,600 A.D.

[Hekate]

While smiling reminiscently about the time when this country was willing to think that big and that long-range, I hit the wrong star in trying to "rate" this essay. gaah. Hopefully someone with better eyesight will give you the more appropriate rating of 5 stars. Thanks for the memories.

[TheNewMe]

(06-13-2011 06:22 PM)Hekate Wrote:  While smiling reminiscently about the time when this country was willing to think that big and that long-range, I hit the wrong star in trying to "rate" this essay. gaah. Hopefully someone with better eyesight will give you the more appropriate rating of 5 stars. Thanks for the memories.

To partially undo your 1

[Sugarloaf]

(06-13-2011 08:10 PM)TheNewMe Wrote:  

(06-13-2011 06:22 PM)Hekate Wrote:  While smiling reminiscently about the time when this country was willing to think that big and that long-range, I hit the wrong star in trying to "rate" this essay. gaah. Hopefully someone with better eyesight will give you the more appropriate rating of 5 stars. Thanks for the memories.

To partially undo your 1

Me too. Didn't seem to help much though. Oh well, great OP anyway.

[jaxx]

I added another 5 to that. I've always loved the space program. I'm a shuttle nut....to think they fly into space and come back and land on an airstrip....just awesome.

[nofurylike]

delightful!!
i love this column! thank you so much for taking us all back to these very important moments, azmouse! all fascinating, and many nostalgic

added another five to the average.