March 2

Spaceship Carries Message to the Stars

On this day in 1972, the spacecraft Pioneer 10 became the first artificial object launched to explore deep space outside the solar system. Traveling at a speed of 49,177 kilometers per hour, Pioneer 10 exited the solar system in June of 1983.

The spacecraft carries a plaque showing a drawing of a man and a woman and a diagram of our solar system displaying the Earth's location. Who knows what alien civilization may some day find Pioneer 10 and its message?