Venus in Ultraviolet Light From NASA's Pioneer Venus Orbiter

This ultraviolet image of Venus' clouds was taken by NASA's Pioneer Venus Orbiter on Feb. 5, 1979. The spacecraft, also called Pioneer Venus 1, was the first American spacecraft to enter orbit around Venus. Launched on May 20, 1978, the spacecraft burned up in the Venus atmosphere in October 1992 after a successful 14-year mission that was planned to last only eight months.