Planetary Geometry Handbook

This publication contains graphical data necessary for the analysis of planetary exploration missions to Venus. Positional and geometric information spanning the time period from 1988 through 2020 is presented; the text explains the data and its usage. This volume is one in a planned series covering planetary mission targets. This publication is one in a series of volumes devoted to planetary positional and geometric data. The present Volume II provides information describing tile planet Venus. Other volumes to be published in 1983 are III, IV, and V, describing Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn geometric data, respectively. Other volumes include the presentations of planetary positional and geometric data for Mercury (Volume I), Uranus (Volume VI), Neptune (Volume VII), and the Pluto/Charon System (Volume VIII). The purpose of this series of planetary geometry hand- books is to provide mission and science planners as well as trajectory designers with graphical information sufficient for preliminary mission design and evaluation. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the appropriate volt.n.es and parts of the Mission Design Handbooks. The present Volume II is devoted to data on the positions of the planet Venus. It presents information characterizing the geocentric and he iocentric positional geometry of a spacecraft while it is in the vicinity of the subject planetary body. The spacecraft could encompass a lander, an entry probe, or a flyby vehicle at encounter. Such wide usage of the data is possible because planetary positions change but slowly, while the distances to Earth or Sun are always large compared to those between the spacecraft and the target planet during the encounter.