Open AccessUpdate on Pioneer 10
Author(s) -
Van Allen J. A.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/98eo00088
Subject(s) - spacecraft , heliosphere , mars exploration program , aeronautics , jupiter (rocket family) , crew , cosmic ray , research center , space research , physics , meteorology , astronomy , engineering , law , solar wind , political science , quantum mechanics , magnetic field
About a year ago NASA announced the formal termination of the extended mission of Pioneer 10 as of March 31, 1997. On March 3, 1997, the 25th anniversary of the launching of Pioneer 10 was celebrated in Washington, D.C., at NASA headquarters and at the National Air and Space Museum. I was among those who gave eulogies for the truly pioneering achievements of this Ames Research Center spacecraft to Jupiter and the outer heliosphere. The services of the outside contractor for Pioneer 10 operations at the Ames Research Center were, in fact, terminated on March 31, 1997. But, by virtue of informal support by the Deep Space Network and the Ames Research Center, Pioneer 10 has continued to yield valuable data on cosmic‐ray intensity in the outer heliosphere throughout 1997 and is expected to do so through at least early summer of 1998. The r.f. telemetry link margin, at 16 bits per second, is still satisfactory, and the on‐board electrical power from the four radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) is adequate to operate all essential spacecraft systems plus the University of Iowa's cosmic‐ray instrument. A precession maneuver to adjust the pointing of the axis of the spacecraft's parabolic antenna was successfully executed on February 3, 1998.