NASA Considered Manned Venus Fly-by in 1967
4 Jun 2012, 02:59 UTC
In two days Venus will pass directly between the Sun and the Earth, becoming visible from Earth as a small black disk in front of the Sun. It is a fantastic and rare phenomenon that occurs every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. Therefore we can say that it is a twice in a lifetime event. Following the transits of 2004 and 2012, the next transit of Venus will be in 2117.
The last transit of Venus on 5-6 June 2004 (Credits: KEYSTONE).
However in 1967, during the peak of the Space Race, NASA considered sending three astronauts on a flyby around Venus, providing them with a unique glimpse of the planet. The mission was developed under the Apollo Applications Program (AAP), a program that envisioned the application of Apollo technology to achieve further milestones within our solar system, such as orbiting laboratories, lunar stations, and manned interplanetary missions.
The mission was planned to launch sometime during the window between 31 October and 30 November 1973, which would offer a quick transit during a time of predicted low solar activity. The spacecraft would arrive at Venus after ...
