Pioneer 10 crossed the orbit of Neptune, June 13, 1983

Pioneer 10, the first NASA mission to the outer planets, crossed the orbit of Neptune on June 13, 1983, marking a first for space travel.

Launched on March 2, 1972, Pioneer 10 was not only the first spacecraft to cross Neptune's orbit on a course to leave our solar system, it was the first to use all-nuclear electrical power, the first to fly beyond Mars, the first to fly through the asteroid belt, and the first to fly close to Jupiter.

NASA received significant data from Pioneer 10, including data that allowed scientists to identify plasma in Jupiter's magnetic field.

Pioneer 10 was the farthest human-made object in existence until February 17, 1998, when Voyager 1 exceeded its range.

Pioneer 10 presumably continues on its course for the red star Aldebaran, which forms the eye of the Taurus constellation. NASA estimates it will arrive there in approximately two million years.

NASA officially terminated routine contact with the vehicle on March 31, 1997 for budgetary reasons. Intermittent contact continued with collection of data from the Geiger tube telescope and the charged-particle instrument. The spacecraft’s signal was last detected on January 23, 2003.

Should Pioneer 10 ever interact with alien life, a plaque with information about Earth and humans is on board.