Venus Orbiter Loses Power After 14 Years
After circling Venus for 14 years, the Pioneer Venus orbiter ran out of thruster propellant Saturday and is expected to plunge toward the planet this week, a NASA spokesman said.
The probe is likely to burn up upon entry into Venus’ atmosphere, the spokesman said.
The orbiter was the first U.S. spacecraft to circle Venus. It was expected to last only one Venusian year--243 days. Instead, the 810-pound craft was able to use its crude radar to peer through the planet’s thick clouds and map more than 90% of its surface.
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