Pioneer 2
From Spacefaring
Pioneer 2 was the last of the three project Able space probes designed to probe lunar and cislunar space. The launch took place at 07:30:21 GMT on 8 November 1958. After Pioneer 1 had failed due to guidance system deficiencies, the guidance system was modified with a Doppler command system to ensure more accurate commands and minimize trajectory errors. Once again, the first and second stage portion of the flight was uneventful, but the third stage of the launch vehicle failed to ignite, making it impossible for Pioneer 2 to achieve orbital velocity. An attempt to fire the vernier engines on the probe was unsuccessful and the spacecraft attained a maximum altitude of 1,550 km (960 mi) before reentering Earth's atmosphere at 28.7° N, 1.9° E over NW Africa.
Pioneer012 lab
Pioneer (Able)| Type | Subtype | Date | Description | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| commons | image | Pioneer012 lab | Commons | ||
| commons | image | Pioneer (Able) | Commons | ||
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