Apr 11 2006
From The Space Library
Five months after launch, ESA’s Venus Express spacecraft entered orbit around Venus. The path of the spacecraft’s initial nine-day “capture orbit” would follow a long ellipse, ranging from 350,000 kilometers (217,480 miles) at its furthest point from Venus (its apocentre), to less than 400 kilometers (248 miles) at its closest point to the planet (its pericentre). This elliptical orbit would afford the Venus Express a view of the entire disc of the planet. Over the next four weeks, the spacecraft would be brought into its operational 24-hour polar orbit, ranging from 250 kilometers (155 miles) to 66,000 kilometers (41,000 miles) above Venus. From this vantage point, the spacecraft would conduct in-depth observations of the structure, chemistry, and dynamics of Venus’s atmosphere, continuing to capture data for at least 486 Earth days.
ESA, “Europe Scores New Planetary Success: Venus Express Enters Orbit Around the Hothouse Planet,” news release 13–2006, http://www.esa.int/esaCP/Pr_13_2006_p_EN.html (accessed 2 April 2010); ESA, “Venus Express’ Initial Orbit Matches Expectations,” 11 April 2006, http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Venus_Express/SEMY1SNFGLE_0.html (accessed 2 April 2010); Peter B. de Selding, “Second from the Sun: European Probe Enters Venus Orbit,” Space.com, 12 April 2006, http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/060411_venusexp_arrival.html (accessed 24 June 2010).
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