Pioneer 8
NASA's Pioneer 8 was launched into heliocentric orbit to study interplanetary space, particularly magnetic fields, plasma, cosmic rays, and solar-wind phenomena. Its measurements were correlated with Pioneers 6 and 7, and it returned data for nearly 30 years.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Pioneer 8Pioneer-CPioneer 8 Solar Orbiter
- Name
- Pioneer 8
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- NASA's Pioneer 8 was launched into heliocentric orbit to study interplanetary space, particularly magnetic fields, plasma, cosmic rays, and solar-wind phenomena. Its measurements were correlated with Pioneers 6 and 7, and it returned data for nearly 30 years.
- Destination
- Heliocentric orbit ahead of Earth at approximately 0.9892–1.0080 AU for interplanetary-space observations
- End Date
- 1996-08-22
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Long-duration heliophysics mission. Pioneer 8 returned interplanetary-space data for nearly 30 years from heliocentric orbit, measuring magnetic fields, plasma, cosmic rays, and related solar-wind phenomena. Its transmitter could not be switched on in July 1995; contact was reacquired via a backup transmitter on August 22, 1996, the last successful tracking recorded by NASA.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1967-12-13
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pioneer-8/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 17:58:25 UTC
- Updated Time
- September 7, 2026 at 23:48:48 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles