On this day in space! Sept. 1, 1979: NASA's Pioneer 11 probe becomes 1st spacecraft to visit Saturn
On September 1, 1979, NASA's Pioneer 11 probe became the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn. The mission provided critical data on the planet's rings and magnetic field, paving the way for future exploration.
Why it matters
This historical milestone represents a foundational achievement in deep-space exploration and planetary science.
Pioneer 11 began its life as a backup twin of NASA's Pioneer 10 mission to Jupiter. So how did it get to Saturn?
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Click for next article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter On Sept. 1, 1979, NASA's robotic space probe Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to fly by Saturn .
Pioneer 11 launched in 1973 on a mission to explore the asteroid belt, Jupiter and Saturn. It launched directly toward Jupiter , then used Jupiter's gravity to slingshot around the planet, make a sharp turn and start flying toward Saturn. Four years and nine months later, it finally made it to Saturn .
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