Pioneer 8

Pioneer 8
	; Pioneer 8 is being prepared for launch
NSSDC ID	1966-075A
Mission goal	Investigation of interplanetary space
Client	NASA
Launcher	Delta-E
construction
Takeoff mass	146 kg
Course of the mission
Start date	December 13, 1967, 14:08 UTC
launch pad	CCAFS , LC-17
End date	August 22, 1996

Pioneer 8 was a space probe from the US space agency NASA as part of the Pioneer program. It was the third of four successful and one failed Pioneer probes to measure solar activity and its impact on interplanetary space. Like Pioneer 6 and Pioneer 7 and the planned subsequent probes, it was supposed to take measurements in a heliocentric orbit and warn, among other things, of solar storms.

construction

Distribution of Pioneer probes in the solar system

Pioneer 8 had a cylindrical body with a height of 81 centimeters and a diameter of 94 centimeters. In addition to an internal battery, the probe was covered with a total of 10,368 solar cells on its body to ensure the power supply. The probe was twist stabilized and had several nozzles operated with nitrogen. In addition, two rods aligned with the interplanetary magnetic field provided the necessary stability. A total of 10 different instruments were on board, including a magnetometer , an instrument for measuring the solar wind and a telescope for measuring the cosmic background radiation . In contrast to its predecessor, Pioneer 8 also had instruments for measuring dust and plasma waves on board.

mission

After launch, Pioneer 8 was placed in a heliocentric orbit between Earth and Mars . A rotation of 60 revolutions per minute around the longitudinal axis of the probe ensured spin stabilization . The measurement results were temporarily stored on a tape drive and then transferred to the ground station. Since the probe flew out of orbit, it was first able to examine the Earth's magnetic tail on January 18, 1968. Like its predecessors, the Pioneer 8 was only designed for an operating time of 6 months, but it provided data for much longer.

Results

The mission was a complete success. Pioneer 8 was designed for a service life of approx. 6 months, which it clearly exceeded with a service life of almost 36 years. It also provided data on solar storms used by more than 1,000 institutions and companies. Unlike Pioneer 6, there is no intention to contact the probe again.

Web links and sources

Commons : Pioneer (space probe program) - collection of images, videos and audio files

Pioneer 8 at NASA: Solar System Exploration (English)
Description of the Pioneer 8 mission in the NSSDC (English)
Bernd Leitenberger: The Pioneer Program