Page 151 - Demo

This cover contains a Project Mercury and a Balloon Jupiter stamp, and a cachet commemorating the launch of Pioneer 10 (which was originally designated Pioneer F). Postmarked on the day of the launch, March 3, 1972. Pioneer 10 was carried into space by an Atlas-Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and was the first artificial object to achieve enough escape velocity to leave the Solar System.The probe began its primary mission, photographing Jupiter, on November 6, 1973 when it was 16,000,000 miles away. About 500 images were transmitted. The closest approach was 82,178 miles on December 3, 1973. It eventually studied the far reaches of the Solar System and the heliosphere. Besides photography, Pioneer 10 also determined the composition of charged particles, and measured magnetic fields, plasma, cosmic rays, and the zodiacal light.For power, Pioneer 10 utilized four radioisotope thermoelectric generators to supply 100 watts for all its systems. They functioned for over 30 years, until January 23, 2003 when the probe was 12 billion kilometers rom Earth, when radio communication ceased.The Pioneer 10 spacecraft was fitted with a gold plaque which was intended to serve as a message for extraterrestrial life.