Let's look back 50 years: Pioneer 4 goes to Moon

William Atkins
Sunday, 01 March 2009 19:13

Science - Space

Pioneer 4, however, did not successfully fulfill its mission to photograph the Moon with its lunar  photography experiment during its closest flyby.

The intended plan was to pass the surface of the Moon at about 32,000 kilometers (19,880 miles).

However, its second stage rocket did not cut-off at its intended time, which would have allowed the Pioneer 4 to race closer to the Moon and, thus, allow its photography equipment to image the Moon.

However, its overall mission was a successful and it paved the way for bigger and better missions to the Moon.

Thus, Pioneer 4, and its team of engineers, technicians, and scientists, should be remembered for their successful completion of sending the first space probe outside the gravitational confines of Earth.

And, they should be honored for helping to prepare for the manned Apollo missions to the Moon, that allowed the United States to become the first country on Earth to have humans walk on the lunar surface, an accomplishment yet to be performed by any other country--which should change sometime in the 2010s or 2020s.

For additional information on Pioneer 4, please read the following:

Learn more about the NASA Pioneer program at: