| in Did You Know Facts
A manned spacecraft first travelled through the asteroid belt in 1972.
Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to traverse the Main Asteroid Belt. It took place in 1972. The apparatus disproved the idea that the belt contained dust that could harm the technological components aboard. Eight additional Earth representatives have safely traversed the area since that time, and the Dawn spacecraft has actually travelled there. It first entered a stable orbit around the asteroid Vesta before moving on to Ceres.