May 29 1979
From The Space Library
The Washington Star reported on a NASA Pioneer Venus briefing at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C., which revealed that Venus (far from being the dull and featureless object it appeared, covered by heavy cloud layers) had spectacular terrain and a unique atmospheric circulation system. Pioneer Venus 1 had been sending back radar and other information since it arrived at Venus in December 1978; Pioneer Venus 2 had arrived shortly thereafter, separating into five probes to study the atmosphere, four of which reached the "smoldering 900° F surface." Dr. Harold Masursky of the U.S. Geological Survey reported that radar scans of Venus had shown a mountain estimated at 37,000 feet, far higher than Earth's 29,028-foot Mt. Everest. Dr. Alvin Seiff of ARC said that Venus's atmospheric circulation was different from any known elsewhere: Earth's surface absorbed sunlight, and the resulting heat in combination with Earth's rotation made the atmosphere flow west to east. However, the atmosphere of Venus absorbed the sunlight 30 to 35 miles above the surface, and heat variations in the atmospheric layers apparently drove one another with their motion. (W Star, May 29/79, A-2)
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