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= Answer = None The following spacecraft have passed the last known body, ie Pluto Pioneer 10 and 11 Voyager 1 and 2 New Horizons will leave the solar system after flying past Pluto in July 2015. The solar system does not really end with Pluto. Besides the planets, there is a thin haze of dust (some of it bunched into comets). Any of this dust that is nearer to the Sun than to any other star may be in the gravitational hold of the Sun and so counts as part of the solar system. Voyager 1 is now near the Sun's heliopause [See Link]. The heliopause is the theoretical boundary where the Sun's solar wind is no longer great enough to push back the stellar winds of the surrounding stars. = Answer = It is true that none of the 5 spacecraft have to date left the physical environment of the solar system, however all 5 of them have sufficient kinetic energy to escape the Sun's gravity. Their escape from the solar system is therefore guaranteed, nothing that man or nature can do, short of an asteroid impact, can stop them from leaving the solar system. By having acquired sufficient velocity to exceed solar escape velocity, they can be said to have left the solar system. Even New Horizons, which will not complete its Pluto reconnaissance mission until 2014, has already escaped from the solar system.

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14y ago
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14y ago

The interplanetary probe Pioneer 10 left Earth on March 2, 1972, it was indeed off on a pioneering mission. In fact, the spacecraft led the way to all exploration of deep space.

Pioneer 10 was the first probe to travel through the Asteroid Belt and the first craft to explore Jupiter. On June 13, 1983, it became the first space probe ever to travel further than the Sun's most distant planet.

The Asteroid Belt is a Sun-orbiting span of rocky debris floating in space between Mars and Jupiter. The most distant of the nine known major planets, at the far edge of the Solar System, are Neptune and Pluto.

Since passing the outer planets, despite dwindling power onboard, Pioneer 10 has been sending back information by radio as it heads into interstellar space.

The Pioneer 10 and 11 missions ended in March 1997, their transmissions where sent to NASA as contact was restablished in 1998 and then continued to be apart of the study of advanced concepts of communications within their DSN (Deep Space Network) department. This continued until the last weak transmission in January 2002.

Even though this spacecraft is the first to venture out of our solar system being at 7.6bn miles or 82 AU ((Astronomical Unit) 82 x the distance between the Earth and the Sun which is about 93 million miles).

Pioneer 10 is heading towards a red star named Aldeberan within the constellation of Taurus, this star is 68 lightyears away and will take 2 million years to complete it journey.

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13y ago

Currently, no spacecraft have yet left the solar system.

The boundaries of the solar system are undefined, but most astronomers believe it is at the point where the Suns gravitational influence has no effect. This is about 2 light years from the Sun.

Voyager 2 - the furthest a man made spacecraft has ventured is only 0.001443 light years from the Sun in 2010.

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13y ago

Not quite, although two are getting close to the edge. The tricky part is figuring out where the solar system ends, and interstellar space begins.

The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 space probes are past the orbits of Neptune and Pluto, but are well inside the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud. But they are approaching the "heliopause", the maximum extent of the solar wind from the Sun.

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13y ago

Voyager 2. It flew by all four gas giant planets in the 70's and 80's(Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and then Neptune). It is now on its way out of the solar system - it hasn't really left our solar system yet, but will do one day.

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10y ago

pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to leave our solar system

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What was the name of the first spacecraft to leave the solar system?

Nothing man-made has left our solar system yet. The furthest thing is Voyager 1, which is now about 116AU away from Earth, around 10.8 billion miles - at the edge of our solar system.


What was the name of the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter?

It's Pioneer 10, launched in March 1972. Pioneer 10 first explored the asteroid belt, then moved on to Jupiter. After that, it explored other outer planets and eventually went outside of the solar system, thus becoming the first spacecraft to flay past Pluto.


If a spacecraft travels from earth to the edge of the solar system what will happen to the gravitational pull between earth and the spacecraft?

The gravitational pull between earth and the spacecraft will become insignificant.


What are procedures of a solar system project?

There are a few steps of a solar system project. You first have to study the solar system.


How do spacecrafts obtain the energy they need to operate?

Spacecraft that will operate within the inner solar system are generally equipped with solar (photovoltaic) panels, which use sunlight to generate electric power. Those that will spend most of their time in the outer solar system, or leave the solar system entirely, will carry nuclear reactors to generate electric power. The electric power runs the instruments, computers, and communications on the spacecraft. But in most cases, electric power doesn't provide the forces needed for navigation. Mid-course adjustments of attitude and trajectory are made the old- fashioned way ... with rocket engines, or thrusters that poof out little puffs of gas. Both of those run on fuel that's carried aboard the spacecraft at launch. When it's gone, it's gone.

Related questions

What was the name of the first spacecraft to leave the solar system?

Nothing man-made has left our solar system yet. The furthest thing is Voyager 1, which is now about 116AU away from Earth, around 10.8 billion miles - at the edge of our solar system.


Was Pioneer 1 the first man made object to leave the solar system?

There has never been a man made object to leave the Solar System. There are however, two objects which may escape the influence of Sol and enter the interstellar medium. These objects are the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. It is currently unknown which will leave the system first, as although Voyager 1 was launched first, peculiarities of the nature of the Solar System may mean that Voyager 2 breaks the heliosphere first.


Why can't we explore the stars with spacecraft the way we explore our solar system?

because they are far away from our solar system


What was the name of the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter?

It's Pioneer 10, launched in March 1972. Pioneer 10 first explored the asteroid belt, then moved on to Jupiter. After that, it explored other outer planets and eventually went outside of the solar system, thus becoming the first spacecraft to flay past Pluto.


What is the name of the first space shuttle sent from earth?

Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to venture to the edge of the solar system. Hope I could help! :) :)


What is a spacecraft that explores the solar system and carries instruments but does not transport astronauts?

a probe


If a spacecraft travels from earth to the edge of the solar system what will happen to the gravitational pull between earth and the spacecraft?

The gravitational pull between earth and the spacecraft will become insignificant.


Has spacecraft ever left the solar system?

Depends "very" much on the definition of the boundary of the solar system, but it's possible Voyager I may well have.


What is the name of the spacecraft that scientists say has reached the edge of the solar system?

Voyager 1.


Can Uranus be explored using a satellite?

Yes. Much of what we know about Uranus was learned during a pass by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986 on its way to Neptune and after that, to leave the solar system completely.


What is the name of the spacecraft which has now crossed the solar system and has gone outer space what is the date when it was launched?

Voyager I and II are pretty much on the edge of solar system.


Is mars still in the solar system?

Yes. It is never going to leave the solar system.