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Collection:
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NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Pioneer F Plaque Location
Title
Pioneer F Plaque Location
Title
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Full Description:
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The Pioneer F spacecraft, destined to be the first man made object to escape from the solar system into interstellar space, carries this pictorial plaque. It is designed to show scientifically educated inhabitants of some other star system, who might intercept it millions of years from now, when Pioneer was launched, from where, and by what kind of beings. (Hopefully, any aliens reading the plaque will not use this knowledge to immediately invade Earth.) The design is etched into a 6 inch by 9 inch gold-anodized aluminum plate, attached to the spacecraft's attenna support struts in a position to help shield it from erosion by interstellar dust. The radiating lines at left represents the positions of 14 pulsars, a cosmic source of radio energy, arranged to indicate our sun as the home star of our civilization. The "1-" symbols at the ends of the lines are binary numbers that represent the frequencies of these pulsars at the time of launch of Pioneer F relative of that to the hydrogen atom shown at the upper left with a "1" unity symbol. The hydrogen atom is thus used as a "universal clock," and the regular decrease in the frequencies of the pulsars will enable another civilization to determine the time that has elapsed since Pioneer F was launched. The hydrogen is also used as a "universal yardstick" for sizing the human figures and outline of the spacecraft shown on the right. The hydrogen wavelength, about 8 inches, multiplied by the binary number representing "8" shown next to the woman gives her height, 64 inches. The figures represent the type of creature that created Pioneer. The man's hand is raised in a gesture of good will. Across the bottom are the planets, ranging outward from the Sun, with the spacecraft trajectory arching away from Earth, passing Mars, and swinging by Jupiter.
Full_Description
The Pioneer F spacecraft, destined to be the first man made object to escape from the solar system into interstellar space, carries this pictorial plaque. It is designed to show scientifically educated inhabitants of some other star system, who might intercept it millions of years from now, when Pioneer was launched, from where, and by what kind of beings. (Hopefully, any aliens reading the plaque will not use this knowledge to immediately invade Earth.) The design is etched into a 6 inch by 9 inch gold-anodized aluminum plate, attached to the spacecraft's attenna support struts in a position to help shield it from erosion by interstellar dust. The radiating lines at left represents the positions of 14 pulsars, a cosmic source of radio energy, arranged to indicate our sun as the home star of our civilization. The "1-" symbols at the ends of the lines are binary numbers that represent the frequencies of these pulsars at the time of launch of Pioneer F relative of that to the hydrogen atom shown at the upper left with a "1" unity symbol. The hydrogen atom is thus used as a "universal clock," and the regular decrease in the frequencies of the pulsars will enable another civilization to determine the time that has elapsed since Pioneer F was launched. The hydrogen is also used as a "universal yardstick" for sizing the human figures and outline of the spacecraft shown on the right. The hydrogen wavelength, about 8 inches, multiplied by the binary number representing "8" shown next to the woman gives her height, 64 inches. The figures represent the type of creature that created Pioneer. The man's hand is raised in a gesture of good will. Across the bottom are the planets, ranging outward from the Sun, with the spacecraft trajectory arching away from Earth, passing Mars, and swinging by Jupiter.
Full Description
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Date:
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02/25/1972
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NASA Center:
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Headquarters
NASA_Center
Headquarters
NASA Center
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Subject Category:
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Space Probes
Subject_Category
Space Probes
Subject Category
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Keywords:
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Pioneer
Keywords
Pioneer
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Plaque
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Keywords:
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F
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Keywords:
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Pictorial
Keywords
Pictorial
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Gold-Anodized
Keywords
Gold-Anodized
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Plate
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Audience:
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General Public
Audience
General Public
Audience
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars
facet_what
Mars
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Unity
facet_what
Unity
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Mars
facet_where
Mars
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_when:
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02-25-1972
facet_when
02-25-1972
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1972
facet_when_year
1972
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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72-H-191
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original_url:
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original_url
original_url
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UID:
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SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 1621
UID
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 1621
UID
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Center:
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HQ
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Center Number:
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72-H-191
Center_Number
72-H-191
Center Number
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GRIN DataBase Number:
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GPN-2000-001621
GRIN_DataBase_Number
GPN-2000-001621
GRIN DataBase Number
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Creator-Photographer:
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NASA
Creator-Photographer
NASA
Creator-Photographer
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Original Source:
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DIGITAL
Original_Source
DIGITAL
Original Source
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