Pioneer Venus Topics

• nasa ames research
• nasa ames research center
• ames research center
• venusian atmosphere
• pioneer series
• pioneer 10
• apoapsis
• multiprobe
• atmospheric entry
• southern portions
• final phase
• mapper
• nasa
• spacecraft
• magellan
• probes
• orbit
• conjunction
• radar

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Pioneer Venus, Pioneer Venus

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Pioneer Venus 2 or Pioneer Venus Multiprobe sent four small probes into the Venusian atmosphere. This was managed by NASA Ames Research Center as part of the Pioneer series of spacecraft that included Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11.

The spacecraft was in a 24 hour orbit with an apoapsis of 66,900 km. Thereafter, the periapsis was allowed to rise (to 2290 km at maximum) and then fall, to conserve fuel. In 1991 the Radar Mapper was reactivated to investigate previously inaccessible southern portions of the planet in conjunction with the recently-arrived Magellan probe. In May 1992 Pioneer Venus began the final phase of its mission, in which the periapsis was held between 150 and 250 km until the fuel ran out and atmospheric entry destroyed the spacecraft the following August.

Source: Wikipedia > Pioneer Venus Project