• 2 months ago
On Oct. 8, 1992, NASA's Pioneer 12 spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere of Venus.

Pioneer 12, also known as the Pioneer Venus Orbiter, spent 14 years orbiting Venus and studying the planet's atmosphere. It also investigated how the planet's ionosphere and magnetic field interact with charged particles from the sun called solar wind. Pioneer 12 even got to check out Halley's Comet while it was in orbit around Venus. When it ran out of propellant, its orbit naturally started to decay, and it disintegrated in Venus's atmosphere.
Transcript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03In 1992, NASA's Pioneer 12 spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere of Venus.
00:08Pioneer 12, also known as the Pioneer Venus Orbiter,
00:11spent 14 years orbiting Venus and studying the planet's atmosphere.
00:15It also investigated how the planet's ionosphere and magnetic field
00:18interact with charged particles from the sun called solar wind.
00:21Pioneer 12 even got to check out Halley's Comet while it was in orbit around Venus.
00:25When it ran out of propellant, its orbit naturally started to decay,
00:29and it disintegrated in Venus' atmosphere.
00:32And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:35♪♪♪

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