After 31 years has been silenced Pioneer 10

2003/04/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronautika

The Pioneer 10 spacecraft signal was last received on January 7. Then, 12 billion km from Earth, the signal at the speed of light took 11 hours and 20 minutes to reach Earth.

Both this and the previously received signal were very weak.

However, on February 7, they tried again to receive the signal but got nothing. NASA then indicated that they had no intention of trying more times.

The Pioneer 10 spacecraft, spaced in 1972, was the first to cross the asteroid belt, take pictures of Jupiter and travel beyond Pluto.

Although the mission officially took place in 1997, it has been completed, until recently it has continued to receive the signal.