1966-075A
Pioneer B was launched at 1520:17 on 1966 Aug 17 by Delta E1 from Kennedy. The Delta separated at 1544:53 and the FW4 ignited at 1545:37. SP-278 and SP-280 give inconsistent values for the injection azimith corresponding to orbit inclinations of 22 and 42 deg respectively, with TR-1022 confirming the 42 deg value. Pioneer VII malfunctioned in 1972 Jul while at aphelion and lost some power, but it was still operable in 1980.
| Pioneer 7 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Aug 17 | 1520:17 | Launch by Delta E1 | CK LC17A |
| T+0:42 SRM burnout | |||
| T+1:11 SRM sep | |||
| 1522:45 | T+2:28 Thor MECO 95 km | -5522 x 188 | |
| 1522 | T+2:32 Delta burn 6:15 | ||
| T+2:33 Thor sep | |||
| T+2:54 Fairing | |||
| 1529:04 | T+8:47 Delta SECO | ||
| 1544:53 | T+24:36 Delta sep | 97.4 254 x 1022 x 33.00 | |
| 1545:37 | FW4D burn, 30.8s | ||
| 1546:09 | FW4D cutoff | 367 x +Inf x 41.9 | |
| 1547:09? | FW4D sep | ||
| Delta orbit | 97.04 252 x 994 x 32.8 | ||
| 1966 Aug 26? | Solar orbit | ||
| 1966 Sep 25 | In geotail at 1000 Re | ||
| 1966 Sep 26 | XYZ(SE) = -900, 55, 22 | ||
| 1966 Sep 28 | XYZ(SE) = -950, 85, 25 | ||
| 1966 Sep 30 | XYZ(SE) = -1000, 130, 28 | ||
| 1972 Jul | Electrical system malfunction | ||
| 1980 | Still operational | ||
