Pioneer P-31

Pioneer P-31 was intended to be a lunar orbiter probe, but the mission failed shortly after launch. The objectives were to place a highly instrumented probe in lunar orbit, to investigate the environment between the Earth and Moon, and to develop technology for controlling and maneuvering spacecraft from Earth. It was equipped to take images of the lunar surface with a television-like system, estimate the Moon's mass and topography of the poles, record the distribution and velocity of micrometeorites, and study radiation, magnetic fields, and low frequency electromagnetic waves in space. A midcourse propulsion system and injection rocket would have been the first United States self-contained propulsion system capable of operation many months after launch at great distances from Earth and the first U.S. tests of maneuvering a satellite in space.

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1960  Wikimedia, Wikidata
space probe, Atlas-Able, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,

1960-12-15T00:00:00Z

1960-12-15T00:00:00Z

1960 Pioneer P-31

1960-12-15T00:00:00Z

1960-12-15T00:00:00Z

rocket launch

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Frameless

Pioneer-P31

Pioneer Lunar Orbiter Spacecraft (5277461469)

Pioneer P-1 P-3 P-30 P-31

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
commons	image		Pioneer-P31		Commons
commons	image		Pioneer Lunar Orbiter Spacecraft (5277461469)		Commons
commons	image		Pioneer P-1 P-3 P-30 P-31		Commons