Pioneer Venus mission plan for atmospheric probes and an orbiter.
The mission concept is described for a spin-stabilized spacecraft being designed to deliver an array of aerodynamic probes over the surface of Venus, and, on a second flight mission, to inject the spacecraft into a Venusian orbit. Large and Small Probes and the instrumented 'Bus' structure will enter the Venusian atmosphere and directly measure its characteristics. An orbiting configuration of the same basic Bus spacecraft will serve as a platform from which to examine the planetary environment, the outer atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind, as well as surface topography. The orbital mission will extend over a complete revolution of the planet around the sun and around its own axis. Requirements for cost effectiveness and firm adherence within early cost projections are emphatic program guidelines which affect every major element of the mission plan and conceptual design.