baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) (12/19/89)
In article <827@dsacg2.UUCP> nam2254@dsacg2.UUCP (Tom Ohmer) writes: >From article <2402@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov>, by baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke): > >< Thermally, Magellan is stable and temperatures aboard the spacecraft >< are normal as it continues to move out towards the orbit of Earth. Magellan >< is now 179 million miles from Venus which it will orbit next August and > >Ron, this is not a flame. Help me understand this. How is it headed for >Venus and out towards the orbit of Earth at the same time? Thanks >-- Magellan is taking a circutous route to Venus in that it will loop around the sun 1 1/2 times before encountering Venus. It has already passed by its perihelion near Venus's orbit last October 7th, and will return to the orbit of Earth where it was launched, and then intercept Venus in August. Galileo, on the other hand, is headed directly for Venus and will arrive there in February before Magellan does even thought Magellan had a 5 month head start. Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov Jet Propulsion Lab M/S 301-355 | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov 4800 Oak Grove Dr. | Pasadena, CA 91109 |