This satellite was an interplanetary satellite sent to exploit the moon. It was launched on 6th December 1958 from the Atlantic Missile Range by a Juno II rocket. The spacecraft was designed by the Army and the NASA engineers and it is the third intended lunar probe. It weighs about six kilogram and its length is about 1.67 feet. The payload includes two Geiger counters and a camera trigger mechanisms. The main mission is to explore the unrevealed mystery of the moon and to learn the structure and components of the moon. The launch of Pioneer 3 was failed due to technical fault in the launch vehicle at its first stage. Due to this problem the spacecraft did not achieve the escape velocity. But the probe reached an altitude of 102,332 kilometer. The only satisfactory news is that the probe had discovered a second radiation belt around Earth. This radiation belt is called as Van Allen Radiation belt.
Mar 26 2010