Pioneer P-1

Pioneer P-1

Pioneer P-1.
Mission type	Lunar flyby
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1959-E02
Mission duration	Failure to launch
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Space Technology Laboratory
Launch mass	88.4 kilograms (195 lb)
Dry mass	25.3 kilograms (56 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	September 24, 1959, 05:44:52 UTC
Rocket	Atlas C Able
Launch site	Cape Canaveral LC-12

Pioneer P-1 was a failed mission in the Pioneer program. The spacecraft 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, 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.^[1][2]

References

1. Gunter's Space Page - information on Pioneer P-1
2. New York Times, "U.S. Moon Rocket Blows Up in Test", Sept 25, 1959

External links

• Space Technology Laboratories Documents Archive
• Atlas Able at Encyclopedia Astronautica
• The fascinating story of the World's First Space Engine