The Pioneer Plaques
The Pioneer program is a series of United States unmanned space missions. The program was designed for planetary exploration. There were a number of such missions in the program, but the most notable were Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11. The Pioneer spacecraft were the first human-built objects to leave the solar system, which explored the outer planets and left the solar system. Both carry a golden plaque. The Pioneer golden plaques are a pair of gold-anodized aluminium plaques which were placed on Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft, having a pictorial message, depicting a man and a woman and information about the origin and the creators of the probes, in case either Pioneer 10 or 11 are intercepted by extraterrestrial life someday. The plaques were attached to the spacecraft's antenna support struts in a position that would shield them from erosion by stellar dust.Pioneer 10 was launched in March 1972 and Pioneer 11 was launched in April 1973. At the top left of the plaque is a schematic representation of the energy transition between the parallel and anti-parallel proton and electron spins in the neutral hydrogen atom. The key to translating the plaque lies in understanding the breakdown of the most common element in the universe - hydrogen. This element is illustrated in the left-hand corner of the plaque in schematic form showing the hyperfine transition of neutral atomic hydrogen. Anyone from a scientifically educated civilization having enough knowledge of hydrogen would be able to translate the message. On the plaque a man and woman stand before an outline of the spacecraft. The man's hand is raised in a gesture of good will. The physical makeup of the man and woman were determined from results of a computerized analysis of the average person in our civilization. The plaque was designed by Dr. Carl Sagan of Cornell University and drawn by Linda Salzman Sagan.
Pioneer Program
>> Unmanned space mission (By United States)
>> Designed for Planetary exploration.
>> First human built objects to leave the Solar system
>> Pioneer 10 was launched in March 1972.
>> Pioneer 11 was launched in April 1973.
>> Both carry a gold-anodized aluminium plaques
Pioneer Plaque
>> Pair of gold-anodized aluminum plaques.
>> Placed on Pioneer 10 & Pinoeer 11 Spacecraft.
>> Designed by - Dr. Carl Sagan and Dr. Frank Drake.
>> Drawn by Linda Salzman Sagan.
>> Size - 15-cm by 23-cm (6-in. by 9-in.).
