Understanding Venus: An International Effort

Within five years of the dawn of the space age with Sputnik, the Mariner 2 fly-by (1962) and Venera-4 probe's entry (1967) into another atmosphere demonstrated that our nearest neighbor was a world very different from our own home planet. With regular launches from the Soviet Union in the early decades of exploration of Venus and missions launched by NASA, the knowledge about Venus grew significantly. It was only after the COSPAR general assembly held in Philadelphia in 1976 that collaboration began between US and USSR with exchange of data, leading to some small joint efforts with the Pioneer Venus Orbiter and Probe missions (1978-1983) followed by collaboration in planning and carrying out the VeGa mission in 1985 involving many countries. The nearly two-dozen missions flown to Venus have painted a puzzling picture of Venus. Presently JAXA's Akatsuki orbiter is collecting observations that …