Pioneer 12 Turns Eyes on Comet

The Pioneer 12 space probe, which has been studying the atmosphere of Venus since 1978, today completed maneuvers to point its technological eyes toward Halley’s Comet.

The spacecraft was turned 118 degrees in a 14-hour operation that ended at 5 a.m., said Pete Waller, a spokesman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Pioneer’s ultraviolet spectrometer will track the comet and provide information about the outbursts of gases the comet’s approach to the sun should generate.