Pioneer 4

ARPA / JPL / ABMA / NASA

Part of the Air Force and NASA Pioneer program, Pioneer 4 was the second of two Juno II launched moon missions.

Development

Commissioned by ARPA (renamed DARPA), built by JPL and launched by Von Braun's Army Ballistic Missile Agency, the project was handed over to the newly formed NASA before its launch, and would become its first successful moon flyby.

Instruments

Originally intended to have a photoelectric trigger to take a single picture of the moon's far side, upon Explorer 1's discovery of the Van Allen Belts its primary instrument was changed to a couple of Geiger-Mueller tubes. Instead of a flyby it would now impact the moon.

Mission

Launched on March 3, 1959, Pioneer 4 launched toward the moon, sending back radiation and tracking data. Trajectory and velocity errors however unfortunately resulted in missing the moon by 58,983 kilometers and the probe entering solar orbit.

Andrew LePage, Drew Ex Machina (en)
Wikipedia (en)
Gunter D. Krebs, Gunther's Space Page (en)
Probes
USA
DARPA
JPL
ABMA
NASA
Pioneer Program
1959

Prints

Art Print
Framed Art Print
Recessed Framed Art Print
Mini Art Print
Mini Art Print with Stand
Framed Mini Art Print
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Prints

This print is available in various sizes and frame styles over at the Taikographer Society6 shop. They are printed on 100% cotton, matte, ultra smooth, acid and lignin-free archival paper.

Select a product below, or browse all of Taikographer's prints and posters over at Society6.

This poster is available in various sizes over at the Taikographer Society6 shop. They are printed on 100lb, high-quality, smooth gloss paper.

Select a product below, or browse all of Taikographer's prints and posters over at Society6.

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