Pioneer plaque

On board the unmanned spacecraft Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 is a plaque with a pictorial message from mankind. The plaque shows the figures of a man and a woman along with several symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft. It serves as a kind of interstellar "message in a bottle". However it is very unlikely that it will ever be found. The mean time for the spacecraft to come within 30 astronomical units of a star is longer than the current age of the galaxy.

Related Topics:
Spacecraft - Pioneer 10 - Pioneer 11 - Mankind - Figure - Man - Woman - Symbol - Interstellar - Message in a bottle - Mean time - Astronomical unit - Star - The galaxy

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The Pioneer spacecraft were the first man-made objects to leave the solar system. The plaque is attached to the antenna support struts in a position that shields it from erosion by stellar dust. NASA expects the plaque (and the craft itself) to survive longer than the earth and its sun.

Related Topics:
Solar system - Antenna - Stellar dust - NASA

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