Word: orbiteer
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...first photo of "Venusnik.'' Biggest news: the satellite will probe deeply into the gravitational field of Venus-will pass within 62,000 miles of the cloud-shrouded planet on May 19 or May 20-then flash back data to earth and continue onward in an elliptical orbit around...
...Although never before tried, the trick has long been discussed by satellite scientists, who agree that it has important advantages. If an interplanetary vehicle is carried piggyback on a satellite, its speed and direction can be measured accurately and unhurriedly while it is still on a "parking'' orbit. Then, far in advance, a point can be selected that will be best for the probe's interplanetary takeoff...
...accomplished in various ways. To judge from their scanty description, the Russians separated a "guided space rocket" from the main body of their sputnik, and pointed it in the correct direction, presumably by discharging small rockets or gas-jets. When it reached the preselected point on its orbit, the main rocket fired, contributing additional push that made the station spiral away from the earth and curve inward toward the sun and the orbit of Venus (see diagram...
Soon after the Venus probe left its parking orbit, Russia announced that it was on the correct course and would keep its date with Venus in late May. The U.S.S.R. probably planned to have the station reach its goal on May 15, when the orbits of Venus and the earth are in the same plane. This would have simplified the aiming problem. But two days later, Moscow announced that the station was moving somewhat slower than expected-so that Venus, doing its solar rounds, would catch up with it in late April, or a month earlier than planned...
...Venus station presumably left its earth-orbit while over Soviet territory, where Russian tracking and guidance stations are concentrated. No non-Soviet scientist saw it depart, and none so far has picked up its radio transmissions. The Russians told their frequency (922.8 megacycles), but did not tell Western radio telescopes where to point. Since the transmitter operates only when triggered from the earth, would-be trackers not in the know have little chance of receiving its signals by blind scanning...