On This Day In Space: Oct. 8, 1992: Pioneer 12 Burns Up in Venus’ Atmosphere (Image Credit: Space.com)
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 Pioneer 12 ran out of propellant, its orbit naturally started to decay, and it disintegrated in Venus’s atmosphere.
On This Day in Space Archive!
Still not enough space? Don’t forget to check out our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week.
Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
