Bound for Venus (SPACE.COM/CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

European probe to arrive at shrouded planet

By Tariq Malik
SPACE.com

Monday, April 10, 2006; Posted: 12:26 p.m. EDT (16:26 GMT)

After five months of spaceflight, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Venus Express orbiter is expected to fire its main engine in a nearly hour-long maneuver to begin its planet-watching duties.
***
The ESA launched the $226 million (220 million Euro) Venus Express mission spaceward in November 2005 on what the space agency has billed its fastest mission to fly.

Not since NASA's Magellan mission ended with the spacecraft's death plunge into the Venusian thick atmosphere in 1994 has the planet had a dedicated orbiter around it.
***
The 2,799-pound (1,270-kilogram) Venus Express spacecraft is expected to fire its main engines for 50 minutes beginning at 3:17 a.m. EDT (0717 GMT) Tuesday to place itself on the proper orbital trajectory.

***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/04/10/venus.express/index.html

[benburch]

1. When we learned in the 60s that Venus was not covered in swamps...

I was *so* disappointed!

[Phoonzang]

2. I'm all for space exploration but....

....I think we've determined Venus really isn't of much interest. If the ESA or NASA is going to use their budget to send a probe out, send it to somewhere more interesting.

I'm still waiting for them to come up with a coherent plan to explore Europa's ocean. Or more importantly (the most important un-manned NASA project IMO), I'm waiting for them to send up the Terrestrial Planet Finder, so they can find Earth-sized, life bearing planets.

[sutz12]

3. Not so fast there....

One of the spacecraft's missions is to try and determine how and why Venus got to be like it is. Speculation is that it does not necessarily have to be like it is, and maybe it wasn't always that way. If runaway greenhouse gases led to global warming and created the Venus we know now, it might tell us a few things about our own little global warming problem.

I think this might be the most vital mission in space right now, if not the most interesting.

[Meldread]

4. I agree.

I've always found Venus to be underrated and overlooked. It is an interesting place, and we can learn a lot by studying it. For some odd reason, I've always been more attracted to Venus than to Mars.

[Phoonzang]

5. Hmm.....point taken.

Global warming is probably the biggest problem facing civilization today...so you're probably right. The mission becomes more viable if looked at through that lens. Yep, a practical mission but just not interesting (to me). :)

[htuttle]

6. It arrived this morning! The probe is now 53 Miles West of Venus

53 Miles West of Venus
53 Miles West of Venus
53 Miles West of Venus
53 Miles West of Venus
...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/europe_venus_mission;_ylt=Aizogkph_QAOMIgqkq4PVCus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

[eppur_se_muova]

7. "West" of Venus?? How's that supposed to work? nt

[htuttle]

8. Oh, I should explain

It's a song:


But the probe did arrive and successfully complete an orbit today, in any case.

:D