The Pioneer Venus Orbiter Gamma Burst Detector

The Orbiter Gamma Burst Detector was designed to record the temporal and spectral characteristics of cosmic gamma-ray bursts. The primary mission of the experiment is the accurate determination of the directions to the sources of such bursts through a technique of triangulation, as a member of a widely spaced array of similar instruments. The system consists of a pair of scintillation spectrometers sensitive in the range 100 < E < 2000 keV, together with logics and data storage to provide a capability for recording these events. Nineteen events which have been verified as cosmic gamma-ray bursts were recorded within the first year's operation.