Purpose of the flight and payload description
The objective of the flight were to demonstrate deployment of the probe parachute, separation of entry heat shield, parachute separation and descent characteristics of the planned 1978 Pioneer Venus atmospheric probe mission.
Details of the balloon flight
Balloon launched on: 12/13/1976 at 8:26 local
Launch site: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US
Balloon launched by: Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (AFGL)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon 2.900.000 cuft
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 12/13/1976 at 10:45 local
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 2 h 20 m
Landing site: Test aborted over White Sands due to cloud coverage in the drop zone. Package recovered
Postal cover issued on launch day commemorating the flight
External references
- Aerodynamic Decelerators for Planetary Exploration: Past, Present, and Future AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit; 21-24 Aug. 2006; Keystone, CO
- Lessons From the Pioneer Venus Program by Steve Dorfman
- The Pioneer Venus spacecraft program Acta Astronautica - Volume 7, Issue 6, June 1980, Pages 773
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