Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Computer Forensics to Help Solve Pioneer Mystery

Posted by Hemos on from the deconstructing-the-past dept.

Matthew Sparkes writes "Launched 35 years ago on Friday, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to reach the outer Solar System and return pictures of Jupiter, closely followed by Pioneer 11. However, the twin Pioneer spacecraft drifted off course (see number 8) by hundreds of thousands of kilometres during their three-decade mission, and NASA eventually lost contact with them. An international team of scientists, including many amatuer hobbyists, are re-analysing the tracking and telemetry data in the hope of discovering the reason."

3 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. One word.. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 5, Funny

    V'ger.

    I suppose it would actually be P'neer, but that just doesn't sound right somehow.

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    1. Re:One word.. by TWX · · Score: 5, Funny

      "peener" sounds more accurate for pronounciation of "P'neer"... In context in a Walter Cronkite-esque voice: "Today, the culmination of NASA's billion dollar project occured when our own Pioneer 11 returned to us, as an artificial life forn calling itself 'peener'. Peener has indicated it's seeking the never-launched probe, 'V'Ger-NA"...'"

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  2. What of Other Craft? by necro81 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We are still in contact with the Voyager probes, and they have, at this point, traveled further out of the solar system than the Pioneer probes. Has the same anomaly been spotted in their trajectories too? That would be of great importance in weeding out possible phenomena.