[net.space] Pioneer 10

alb (04/25/83)

Pioneer 10 is scheduled to fly past the orbit of Pluto (now
the 8th planet) today, NASA said.  The spacecraft, launched
on 2 March, 1972, will fly past Neptune's orbit on 13 June,
thus becoming the first man-made spacecraft to venture past
our solar system.

wombat (04/27/83)

#R:alice:-177500:uicsl:11100008:000:84
uicsl!wombat    Apr 26 12:10:00 1983

Has Voyager reached the half-way point between Saturn and Uranus yet?
							Wombat

alb (04/27/83)

It still is able to take pictures, but there's nothin to take
pictures of.  Pluto is on the other side of the sun, and Neptune
is also too far away.  Once it passes Neptune's orbit though,
it will send back a picture of the sun from that point.

alb@alice.UUCP (06/09/83)

At 0800 EDT this coming Monday, Pioneer 10 will cross the orbit
of Neptune, now the farthest known planet from the sun, and thus
become the first man made spacecraft from Earth to exit the solar
system.