The title of the work refers to the Pioneer 10 satellite launched in the 1970s. Pioneer 10 became the first man-made object to leave our solar system and in 2003 NASA finally lost contact with the satellite. Pioneer 10, as far as we know, is not broken or damaged. Even though the satellite was built to last for 6 months of travel, after 30 years the power supply is simply not powerful enough to send a signal all the way back to Earth. For me, the most profound aspect of Pioneer 10 is how it sits alone in space, dutifully sending messages to Earth, not knowing that they will never be received.
Performed by Christopher Hawes on the disc Fleeting Visions.
Download the score: Pioneer X