SPACE — On May 20, 1978, NASA launched a spacecraft bound for Venus. The mission is called Pioneer-Venus 1 and is also known as the Pioneer Venus Orbiter.
This is the first of two spacecraft to go on the Pioneer Venus mission. Pioneer Venus 2 launched a few months later, and the spacecraft dropped five probes to the surface of Venus.
NASA calls it the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe. The toxic planet orbiter is designed to study Venus’ atmosphere, which is a solar-powered cylinder about the size of a hot tub.
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The mission launched from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas-Centaur rocket and reached Venus about six months later. While orbiting Venus, it measures the structure of the upper atmosphere and studies how the solar wind interacts with the ionosphere and its magnetic field. It also detects gamma-ray bursts and makes ultraviolet observations of comets.
Pioneer Venus 1 continues to transmit data for 14 years before its orbit decays. The craft was ejected into the Venusian atmosphere and shattered into pieces. Source: Space.com
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2023-05-20 13:45:17
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