1978 in spaceflight explained

Year:	1978
First:	6 January
Last:	28 December
Total:	128
Catalogued:	124
Retired:	Atlas-Agena Mu-3H
Firsttrav:	DDR
Orbital:	5
Totalcrew:	10

1978 saw the launch of the Pioneer Venus missions launched by the United States, on 20 May and 8 August. The Pioneer Venus Multiprobe landed four spacecraft on the planet, one of which transmitted data for 67 minutes before being destroyed by atmospheric pressure. ISEE-C, which was launched on 8 December, flew past comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner in 1985, and Halley's Comet in 1986.^[1]

Launches

|colspan=8 style="background:white;"|

January

|-|colspan=8 style="background:white;"|

February

|-|colspan=8 style="background:white;"|

March

|-|colspan=8 style="background:white;"|

May

|-|colspan=8 style="background:white;"|

June

|-|colspan=8 style="background:white;"|

August

|-|colspan=8 style="background:white;"|

September

|-|colspan=8|

October

|-|}

Deep Space Rendezvous

Date (GMT)	Spacecraft	Event	Remarks
4 December		Cytherocentric orbit insertion
9 December		Venerian atmospheric entry	The bus, one large and three small subprobes
21 December		Venerian landing
25 December		Venerian landing

References

Footnotes

Notes and References

1. Hughes, J (1996) Larousse Desk Reference Encloypedia London RD Press