December 5, 2017 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
“The Changeling” (short version)
ST: Original series
https://youtu.be/egyd0cnmpPo
(2:51)
Always glad to hear you on Batchelor.
I don’t want to be picky, but something seemed “off” or “odd” when you said Pioneer is “dead” in a recent John Batchelor program. It came when you were talking about communications with various deep space probes.
Assuming you were talking about Pioneer 10 and 11, I do not think it can be conclusively stated. they are “dead”. Dead implies destroyed or turned off or with no power. Pioneer with its radioisotope power system will have the potential for power for a long time. I am not aware that they purposefully chose to turn it off as they do recent spacecraft. I am not aware of any information stating it was destroyed (indeed how could they?).
Pioneer 10 last received signal at Earth on 2006. For Pioneer 11 was 1995. But in both cases, this does not really mean it is “dead”. The power level maybe low, too low to send a signal back to Earth that can be heard. At least for Pioneer 10, it cannot point at Earth. So, just because it cannot communicate with Earth does not mean it is dead. I have read at https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/text/pioneer_10-11_status_971201.txt that “The Mission of Pioneer 11 has ended. Its RTG power source is exhausted.” That is actually a logical fallacy. If the power source was exhausted, the spacecraft could not report that this was the case since you need power to send such telemetry. What I think they meant was there was not enough power to support communications with Earth, so this means as far as the mission controllers are concerned, the power supply was exhausted. In reality it still provides power, although likely too low to do much and if it is broadcasting a signal, it can only be heard nearby.
So, I think it best to say, both have ended their respective missions and their status is unknown (as it must be since they cannot send telemetry to Earth letting us know their status).
Since the Pioneer power is radioisotope, you still get heat even today to keep the spacecraft warm, but you may not get enough power converted by the thermoelectric elements to power anything beyond simple circuits. Without telemetry/communications we do not know the status.