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The Pioneer Venus Orbiter, also known as Pioneer Venus 1 or Pioneer 12, was a mission to Venus conducted by NASA as part of the Pioneer Venus project. Launched in May 1978 atop an Atlas-Centaur rocket, the spacecraft was inserted into an elliptical orbit around Venus on December 4, 1978.
NASA's Pioneer Venus 1 was the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit Venus. It was the orbiter in a two-spacecraft orbiter-probe combination designed to study the atmosphere and surface of Venus. A second spacecraft carrying the probe was launched a few months later.
- United States of America (USA)
- Pioneer Venus Orbiter
- Venus Orbit
- 1,283 pounds (582 kilograms)
May 31, 2018 · Insertion into Venus’ atmosphere occurred December 4, 1978. The Pioneer Venus Orbiter measured data from the upper atmosphere and southern region of the planet, including interactions between solar winds and Venus’ magnetic field. It also mapped Venus’ surface.
Pioneer Venus Orbiter was designed to perform long-term observations of the Venusian atmosphere and surface features. After entering orbit around Venus in 1978, the spacecraft returned global maps of the planet's clouds, atmosphere and ionosphere, measurements of the atmosphere-solar wind interaction, and radar maps of 93 percent of the planet ...
- United States
- Hughes
- NASA, Ames Research Center
- Cylinder: 2.5 m dia. x 1.2 m tall
May 21, 2018 · Two Soviet spacecraft, Venera 11 and 12, launched in late September 1978 and arrived at Venus a few weeks after the Pioneer Venus craft. Each Venera consisted of a fly-by bus that released a softlander as it approached Venus.
Pioneer Venus consisted of two spacecraft to study Venus: the Orbiter and the Multiprobe. The latter separated into 5 separate vehicles near Venus. The Orbiter was launched on the 20 May 1978 from the Kennedy Space Center aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket. It went into orbit around Venus on 4 December 1978.
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May 21, 2018 · Insertion into Venus’ atmosphere occurred December 4, 1978. The Pioneer Venus Orbiter measured data from the upper atmosphere and southern region of the planet, including interactions between solar winds and Venus’ magnetic field. It also mapped Venus’ surface.