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Was the asteroid belt as dangerous as planners feared?
Pioneer 10 entered the asteroid belt on 15 July 1972 and emerged in February 1973, after a 435-million-kilometer passage. As the first spacecraft to cross the belt, it gave planners direct evidence about a region no spacecraft had traversed before[1][2]. Some impacts were recorded, but the hazard was much less than expected. The passage mattered because it replaced an anticipated danger with an observed, lower risk for a spacecraft crossing the belt[3].
Would you also like to know how Pioneer 11’s asteroid-belt crossing compared with Pioneer 10’s?Answer complete. One follow-up option available.
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