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The Pioneer series, carried out by NASA Ames Research Center, in the sixties and seventies, was a grand set of probes that ventured ever farther and higher in Earth's space environment and even out to Venus and into the outer planets.

In 1967 proposals were requested for the first investigations of the gas giants. After many ideas, NASA tasked Ames with the job, requesting they fabricate and build a spacecraft using proven technology from previous Pioneer Spacecraft, to travel to Jupiter. Later, when gravity assists were evaluated, this Spacecraft would be tasked with slinging on to Saturn after the Jovian encounter (barring failure due to known Jovian radiation belts, at this point, unmeasured, untested).

TRW and its Redondo Beach California Plant was tasked with assembly of the vehicles that were first known as Pioneers F and G. This new craft had to be very very light, because available, cost effective, lift capacity could only be found in the Atlas Centaur Space Launch vehicle, at the time very limited in Jovian throw capacity. Light meant simple, and these spacecraft were not wonders of computer wizardry as Voyager and Viking would become later. Advanced sequencing with automatic program operations could not be carried out, so the Spacecraft relied on individual commands for each operation, and the JPL controller team would have to learn to send scripted sequences all on a tight schedule preempting time delays in the Outer Solar System.

As for instruments, these spacecraft were tasked not only with Jovian and Saturanian observation, but mapping solar wind and magnetic fields in the unexplored transition region between us and Jupiter. They carried simple magnetometers and Geiger counters, particle detectors, and impact plates along the high gain antenna. As for cameras, they didn't carry them. However, they carried a device known as a photorimeter. These simple plated "light detectors" were intended only to measure brightness of clouds on Jupiter to determine patterns and composition. The beauty of it was, the Pioneer team figured if they took strips of "brightness" measurements and strung them in lines and columns, they could use computer mainframes to put together "pixels" and get an image. This technique was used to take the first close up
pictures of Jupiter, Saturn, the Great Red Spot, and Saturn's rings.

On March 2, 1972 Pioneer 10 was launched. It flew to Jupiter and then on out into interplanetary space.

On April 5, 1973 Pioneer 11 was launched. It repeated Pioneer 10s Jupiter encounter, and used a gravity assist to encounter Saturn.

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