Japan's Venus Climate Orbiter In Venus Orbit!

After 5 years, AKATSUKI Japan's Venus Climate Orbiter performed an engine burn that finally placed the space probe in orbit around Venus.

This makes it the only operating probe currently around that planet.

JAXA performed the attitude control engine thrust operation of the Venus Climate Orbiter “AKATSUKI” for its Venus orbit insertion from 8:51 a.m. on December 7 (Japan Standard Time). As a result of analyzing data transmitted from the orbiter, we confirmed that the thrust emission of the attitude control engine was conducted for about 20 minutes as scheduled! The orbiter is now in good health. We are currently measuring and calculating its orbit after the operation. It will take a few days to estimate the orbit, thus we will announce the operation result once it is determined.

Source

a reply to: eriktheawful

It's probably a redundant question, but why on Earth would we need to know the weather on Venus?

Neat!

I am eagerly awaiting some awesome photos!

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

to understand how women really work ?

a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

Well, Venus has a lot more questions than we have answer for.

For example, it's equator rotation is all of 6 km/h....the planet that is. The atmosphere on the other hand spins at 300 km/h

Why? We only have theories and this is one of the many things the probe from Japan is going to look into.

Here's a wiki link on the probe itself:

Wiki Link

This breaks my heart...

originally posted by: LightSpeedDriver
a reply to: eriktheawful

It's probably a redundant question, but why on Earth would we need to know the weather on Venus?

Because Venus is the perfect example of the runaway greenhouse gas effect.
Venus Greenhouse Effect

You might be surprised to know that Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System. With a global temperature of 735 Kelvin (462 degrees C), the surface of Venus is hot enough to melt lead. And if you could stand on the surface of Venus, you would experience atmospheric pressure 92 times greater than what you’re used to on Earth. Why is Venus so hot? The Venus greenhouse effect shows you what happens when this the process of trapping sunlight goes out of control into a runaway process.

originally posted by: scubagravy
a reply to: LightSpeedDriver

to understand how women really work ?

Touche!

a reply to: buster2010

Actually, it's not really there to study that.

It's there to look at the weather itself, and to try and detect two things:

To see if their is lightning and to see if there is active volcanoes on it's surface. It's also going to study some of the cloud formation.

So this probe is more for a study on it's active weather systems and geology, and less about the climate.

originally posted by: Ghost147
Neat!

I am eagerly awaiting some awesome photos!

Same here. They have more than enough cameras on board to get some decent pics.
Akatsuki
The scientific payload consists of six instruments: the Lightning and Airglow Camera (LAC), an ultraviolet imager (UVI), a longwave infrared camera (LIR), a 1 μm camera (IR1), a 2 μm camera (IR2), and the radio science (RS) experiment. The five imaging cameras will explore Venus in wavelengths from ultraviolet to the mid-infrared.[9]

The LAC will look for lightning in the visible wavelengths of 552 to 777 nanometers. The LIR will study the structure of high-altitude clouds at a wavelength where they emit heat (10 μm). The UVI will study the distribution of specific atmospheric gases such as sulfur dioxide in ultraviolet wavelengths (293–365 nm). The IR1 will peer through semi-transparent windows in Venus' atmosphere to see heat radiation emitted from Venus' surface rocks (0.90–1.01 μm) and will help researchers to spot active volcanoes, if they exist. The IR2 will detect heat radiation emitted from the lower reaches of the atmosphere.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: buster2010

Actually, it's not really there to study that.

It's there to look at the weather itself, and to try and detect two things:

To see if their is lightning and to see if there is active volcanoes on it's surface. It's also going to study some of the cloud formation.

So this probe is more for a study on it's active weather systems and geology, and less about the climate.

It is there to study the meteorology of the planet as it says in the mission statement so it wouldn't be unexpected to see if they did run some tests on the greenhouse effect. But you are right about lightning and volcanoes being the main reason.

Is there a theory that we have leap frogged from planet to planet as our universe is expanding ? And our challenge to survive is to jump to the next (not because we screw them and keep moving). So i mean, we used to be on venus, now earth then here we are trying to get to mars, maybe that's why our history is shrouded in secrecy.

a reply to: buster2010

The IR2 will detect heat radiation emitted from the lower reaches of the atmosphere.

Thanks for the wiki link (I'm tired lol). I was wondering why the Japanese Orbiter would be equipped with an additional instrument that would measure heat radiation escaping the atmosphere if gaining new data on greenhouse gas warming wasn't one of the objectives. Turns out it is, indirectly.

Abstract for Akatsuki's IR2

Additional targets of the mission are the exploration of the ground surface and the observation of zodiacal light. The mission will complement the ESA's Venus Express, which also explores the Venusian environment with different approaches.

One of the main objectives of the Venus Express was to study Greenhouse warming.

This is exciting! Anytime we have the capability to learn more about our solar system, we should seize it!

a reply to: angeldoll

Didnt know you liked space, thought you were "down to earth"

a reply to: angeldoll

Didnt know you liked space, thought you were "down to earth"

RE: Buster2010

Don't you mean Lucifer's orbit?

Wikipedia
//edit

Akatsuki (暁?) is the Japanese word for "dawn" or "daybreak". The opposite of Ōmagatoki.

//edit

I mean since people are making references to apocalyptic runaway atmospheric warming.

-FBB

originally posted by: angledoll
This is exciting! Anytime we have the capability to learn more about our solar system, we should seize it!

yes! any time we have the capability to learn anything new, even if we don't like the truth when we find it, we should seize that opportunity

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: buster2010

Actually, it's not really there to study that.

It's there to look at the weather itself, and to try and detect two things:

To see if their is lightning and to see if there is active volcanoes on it's surface. It's also going to study some of the cloud formation.

So this probe is more for a study on it's active weather systems and geology, and less about the climate.

I wonder if they can figure out this:
www.space.com - Bright Spot on Venus Stumps Scientists...

Unless it has already been answered?

And:
www.space.com - Volcanoes on Venus May be Young and Active...

Correct me if any of this has already been solved.

And learning more about the clouds is good. It may give us hints about any potential life existing in them, since I think that's possible. It'd throw a wrench in the protection protcol machine, however:
www.space.com - Planetary Protection Study Group Mulls Life On Venus...

Did you fail to notice like me? In addition to my above post I wnat to remind everyone this same probe mentioned by the OP failed to insert itself properly into Venus's orbit on Dec 7 2010. At the time they knew it wouldn't get another chance for almost 6 years. Now! So this is a special time.
global.jaxa.jp - JAXA | Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" (PLANET-C)...planet_c/

The AKATSUKI is expected to usher in a new era of Venusian exploration. It was launched aboard an H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17 in May 2010 (JST.) It smoothly flew and spurted out jets from its orbit control engine on Dec. 7, 2010. Unfortunately, the AKATSUKI failed to inject itself into the orbit of Venus. JAXA set up an investigation team not only to examine and study the causes of the failure and countermeasures, but also to see if it is possible to insert the AKATSUKI again into the orbit when it comes closer to Venus in about six years.

I hope it's successful! I'm not sure it's yet.