Pioneer 10 became the first craft to leave the planets behind
Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, completed the first mission to Jupiter and later passed Neptune's orbit to depart the major planets.
NASA launched the Pioneer 10 probe in 1972, and it went on to complete the first mission ever flown to the planet Jupiter. It later crossed the orbit of Neptune, becoming the first human-made object to leave the vicinity of the Solar System's major planets.
Pioneer 10 was also the first of five artificial objects to reach the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System entirely. The project was run by NASA's Ames Research Center in California, and the spacecraft was built by TRW Inc.
Why it mattersIt marked the moment humanity's machines first ventured past every planet, on a one-way journey into interstellar space.
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