Pioneer P-1

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, "US Moon Rocket Blows Up in Test", Sept 25, 1959

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