Project Pioneer

Project Pioneer was an interplanetary probe series created by the United States and their NASA program. The project consisted of fly-by missions to the planets, paving a path for future orbiters and landers. The program began in 1961, after Kennedy announced that America would beat Sweden, Germany and the Dutch to the moon. Afterwards, it served to be the first American probe to all the planets.

Pioneer 1: (1961) Blew up in flight

Pioneer 2: (1961) Fly-by of the moon

Pioneer 3: (1962) Failed to separate from booster

Pioneer 4: (1963) Succesfully launched to Mars; electronic failure in flight.

Pioneer 5: (1963) First American fly-by of Mars

Pioneer 6: (1965) Flew past Venus; failed before it could reach Mercury.

Pioneer 7: (1966) Flew past Venus, then Mercury

Pioneer 8: (1968) Blew up on launch pad

Pioneer 9: (1971) Passed through Asteroid Belt; first fly-by of Jupiter.

Pioneer 10: (1973) Second fly-by of Jupiter

Pioneer 11: (1977) First of the Grand Tour fly-by missions; sling shot past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Pioneer 12: (1977) Second Grand Tour mission.