Pioneer P-1 was a failed mission in the Pioneer program

Pioneer program

The Pioneer program is a series of United States unmanned space missions that was designed for planetary exploration. There were a number of such missions in the program, but the most notable were Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, which explored the outer planets and left the solar system...

. The spacecraft

Spacecraft

A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....

 was a 1 meter diameter sphere, with a propulsion module. It was launched on September 24, 1959 on an Atlas-C Able launcher. It was to carry a TV camera and a magnetic field sensor. It was to be spin-stabilized

Spin-stabilized satellite

A spin-stabilized satellite is a satellite which has the motion of one axis held fixed by spinning the satellite around that axis, using the gyroscopic effect.The attitude of a satellite or any rigid body is its orientation in space...

, and was known as a 'paddlewheel' spacecraft. The Atlas-Able launch vehicle was destroyed in an explosion on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral during a pre-launch static test. The payload of P-1 spacecraft and Able IV space engine was not present on the launch vehicle when it exploded.

External links

• Gunter's Space Page - information on Pioneer P-1
• Space Technology Laboratories Documents Archive
• Atlas Able at Encyclopedia Astronautica
• The fascinating story of the World's First Space Engine