Saturday, January 8, 2000

Pioneer 6

  1965-105A


The first Solar Pioneer, Pioneer A was built by TRW for NASA-Ames. The spin stabilized cylindrical Solar Pioneers would study the solar wind. Pioneer A was launched at 0731:20 by Delta E from Kennedy and became Pioneer VI. The Delta stage separated at 0756:07 and the X-258 ignited at 0756:40 to insert Pioneer into solar orbit. It was still transmitting in 2000, the longest surviving spacecraft. 


Pioneer 6 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1965 Dec 16 0731:21  Launch by Delta E  CK LC17A 
  T+0:43 SRM burnout 
  T+1:10 SRM sep 
 0733:49  T+2:28 Thor S/N 20203 MECO 89 km  
 0733:54  T+2:33s Delta E S/N 20202 burn, 6:18 
  T+2:33s Thor sep  -5343 x 204 x 29.9 
  T+2:59s Fairing 
 0740:12  T+8:51 Delta SECO 
 0756:07  T+24:46 St 3 spinup 
 0756:09  Delta sep  273 x 1267 x 30.2 
 0756:18  X-258-C4 RH-90 burn, 23s 
 0756:42  X-258 burnout 
 0757:42? X-258 sep 
 0757  Deploy booms  558 x -291986 x 30.23 
1965 Dec 26?   Solar orbit (1Mkm) 
1975   Last data to be archived 
1988 Oct   Passed 3Mkm from Earth 
1997 Oct 6   Plasma and cosmic ray data OK 
2000 Dec 8   Telemetry received in anniversary contact 

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