The world has a new scout in the space between the planets. Its paddle-shaped solar batteries wheeling in the glaring sunlight of airless space, Pioneer V, a 94.8-lb. sphere only 26 in. in diameter, was the first interplanetary traveler with a far-ranging and long-lasting voice. If all goes well, scientists will be hearing from Pioneer V steadily for the next five months, then sporadically for years to come, as it swings back within range.
At five seconds past 8 a.m. one morning last week, the Thor-Able rocket took off from its pad at Cape Canaveral with a symmetrical gush of flame and...
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