Last signal from Pioneer 10 - January 22, 2003 - 01/22/13 05:06 PM
Pioneer 10, launched March 2, 1972, was a true pioneer. The first spacecraft to cross the asteroid belt, first to complete a mission to Jupiter and first to send information about the distant regions of the Solar System. Its last message came home on January 22, 2003 on its way out of the Solar System towards Taurus.
Ten years later it's ten billion miles away from the Sun. A ray of sunlight takes nearly fifteen hours to reach it!
Ten years later it's ten billion miles away from the Sun. A ray of sunlight takes nearly fifteen hours to reach it!