Pioneer 10

space exploration · NASA · Jupiter

First to Jupiter. Pioneer 10 launched in 1972 and became the first spacecraft to ever reach the planet Jupiter. It traveled farther than any human-made object had gone before.

Asteroid belt explorer. Before reaching Jupiter, Pioneer 10 had to fly through the dangerous asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was the first spacecraft to safely make this journey through all those floating rocks.

Escape velocity master. Pioneer 10 was one of only five objects launched from Earth that went fast enough to leave the Solar System entirely. Once it left, it kept traveling into deep space forever.

Purposeful mission. NASA's Ames Research Center managed the mission, and the spacecraft was built by a company called TRW Inc. The whole team worked to explore a planet humans had never visited before.

Lasting achievement. Pioneer 10 showed that spacecraft could survive the journey to Jupiter and beyond, which helped scientists plan even bigger space missions in the future.