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| Pioneer 2 "Goldcraft" launch cover postmarked at Port Canaveral on November 8, 1958. |
Pioneer 2 (also referred to as Able 3) was the final probe in the three-project Able series, designed to explore lunar and cislunar space. The launch occurred at 07:30:21 GMT on November 8, 1958. Following the failure of Pioneer 1 due to issues with its guidance system, modifications were made, incorporating a Doppler command system to enhance command accuracy and reduce trajectory errors. Unfortunately, the third stage of the launch vehicle failed to ignite, preventing Pioneer 2 from reaching orbital velocity. The spacecraft reached a maximum altitude of 1,550 km (960 mi) before reentering Earth's atmosphere at coordinates 28.7° N, 1.9° E over northwest Africa. Despite its brief flight, Pioneer 2 collected some data, indicating that the Earth's equatorial region has higher radiation flux and energy levels than previously thought, and that micrometeorite density is greater in Earth's vicinity than in outer space.
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Pioneer 2)
