Spacecraft on Venus
Venus is a mysterious world. Unlike Mars, however, Venus does not harbor life forms that support human habitation.
In 1975, Soviet Venera 9 and 10 spacecraft successfully deployed landers on Venus and sent back images. Additionally, Vega spacecraft dropped balloons in its atmosphere for observation purposes as well as performing radar observations.
The new VERITAS mission will search for signs of life in Venus’ lower atmosphere by shining ultraviolet light onto cloud droplets that contain organic molecules; any particles which fluoresce indicate life may exist there.
Venera 8
The Soviet Venera 8 probe was the first spacecraft to ever land on Venus and survived for 63 minutes on its hot and dense surface, sending back photos that depicted pancake-rock covered in lava or weathered by its atmosphere; while its onboard radar altimeter and gamma ray spectrometer detected presences of uranium and potassium in surface rocks.
Venera 8 traveled 118 days from Earth to Venus and one course correction before disengaging from its carrier on July 22nd 1972. A refrigeration system helped preserve its life at such extreme conditions on Venus.
Venera 9
Venera 9 made history as the first spacecraft ever to soft-land on Venus and transmit surface data back to Earth – taking 23 minutes on this world which many scientists consider Earth’s twin sister.
NPO Lavochkin’s Proton rocket carried an orbiter and lander that would investigate Venus’ harsh temperatures and pressure conditions, and work toward solving its long-running mystery of why Venus is so hot.
Venera 10
Venera probes included two landers designed to take black and white pictures of Venus. Unfortunately, one of their camera covers failed to open fully, restricting their views to only 180 degrees around their respective lander.
On October 20, 1975, the lander and orbiter officially separated, and on that same day the lander conducted a maneuver to enter Venus’ atmosphere on its day side.
This orbiter provided information about temperature conditions at various altitudes as well as compositional analysis of Venus’ atmosphere. Furthermore, bistatic radar investigations of Venus surface were also conducted by this probe.
Venera 5
Venera multi-probe missions consisted of a bus and four atmospheric probes; only one survived its descent into Venus’ hot, dense atmosphere.
Once aerodynamic braking was complete, the probe deployed its parachute and began its descent towards Venus’ surface. For 23 minutes after arriving, weak signals were transmitted until eventually its lander succumbed to extreme temperatures and pressure on Venus and went silent; marking the last time any Soviet planetary probe returned surface data.
Venera 6
As staff at Lavochkin prepared for the launch of two 2V spacecraft, tension between American and Soviet scientists over its surface conditions became evident. American experts believed that conditions on Venus would be much harsher than anticipated by Soviet science teams.
Venera 6 successfully touched down on Venus’ nightside and sent back an array of data as it descended. When transmission stopped at 12 kilometers altitude and 27 bars pressure, Venera 6 had completed its descent and entered atmospheric space.
Mariner 5
After coasting for some time, the Atlas-Agena D engine ignited for a short blast to send Mariner 5 on its journey toward Mars. Equipped with solar plasma probe, helium magnetometer, trapped radiation detector and UV photometer instruments; Mariner 5 provided back-up support to Mars-bound Mariner 2.
The data sent back revealed that Venus has a slow spin rate, scorching surface temperatures and a thick atmosphere composed of carbon dioxide – as expected – but also revealed something unexpected: its day and night sides had distinct temperatures.
Venera 7
Venera 7 represented Soviet success in landing on Venus. Over its 35-minute descent, Venera 7 transmitted data that greatly assisted scientists’ understanding of this planet’s surface temperature and climate conditions.
In 1981, the Soviets sent Venera 13 and 14 landers to Venus without cameras for scientific measurements from above. Their findings indicated that Venus is extremely hot with surface temperatures over 850 degrees Fahrenheit and atmospheric pressures 90 times denser than Earth.
Pioneer Venus
The Pioneer Venus mission consisted of a spacecraft and multiprobe launched on 8 August 1978 and reaching Venus by December.
The Orbiter utilized several instruments to investigate plasma in the upper atmosphere and used radar technology to map surface areas.
The Multiprobe separated into five vehicles near Venus. Four small probes landed and transmitted data during their descent through Venusian atmosphere; one small probe discovered phosphine gas, believed to be produced through biological processes.
Venus is an exotic planet characterized by searing surface temperatures and crushing atmospheric pressures; no spacecraft has ever survived more than several hours on Venus.
However, the orbiter VERITAS will produce stunning maps of Venus’ mountainous highlands and reveal whether it has plate tectonics like Earth. Furthermore, it will serve as a prototype mission to search for life on rocky exoplanets in future missions.
Venera 8
Between 1970 and 1985, the Soviets launched ten spacecraft to Venus from 1970-1985: Venera landers 7-14; Vega 1& 2; atmospheric probes Veneras 8 & 9; these spacecraft landed successfully and transmitted black-and-white pictures back from the surface.
Engineers designed Venera 8 to be more durable than its predecessors, featuring a thicker hull that could withstand 180 atmospheres of pressure on its way to Mars’ surface. Furthermore, this probe contained both a gamma ray spectrometer and photometer and operated for 57 minutes on this mission.
Venera 9
Venera missions challenged what was technologically possible at that time, showing it was possible to send signals through Venus’ dense atmosphere and land probes on its surface.
Both lander and orbiter provided valuable insight into Venus’ surface. For instance, Venera 7 found rocks closer to basalt than granite which indicates that volcanic activity formed them.
Venera 10
The Venera program was intended to test Soviet’s new atmospheric probe, equipped with a gamma ray spectrometer, an anemometer device to analyze gas, an altimeter and photometer as well as pressure and temperature sensors.
Each spacecraft traveled for 8 months around Venus, creating radar maps with resolution of 20-80 kilometers during their tour and transmitting this data back to a lander that later separated from its orbiter through a maneuver.
Venera 13
Venera 13 and 14 were orbital probes equipped with landers that successfully made contact with Venus after being launched in 1981. Capable of transmitting color images for approximately 127 minutes after landing, before succumbing to its hostile environment and succumbing to inevitable failure.
Pictures taken with wide-angle lenses show an alien landscape featuring a rocky terrain with an arched horizon and disfigured rocks, as well as the lander itself. Their quality was remarkable in view of Cold War restrictions.
Venera 14
The Venera 13 and 14 probes were created to study Venus’ atmosphere and surface. Each comprised a flyby spacecraft used as a relay, followed by a lander that descended to land on Venus’ surface.
The lander operated for 127 minutes under extreme environmental conditions of 450-degree Fahrenheit temperature and 90 times Earth atmospheric pressure.
Cameras were used to survey the surface, while a soil drill was utilized to analyze its composition. A lander equipped with microphones recorded sound to complete this endeavor.
Vega 1
Vega 1 and Vega 2 flew twice around Venus before deploying a lander and balloon with drill-equipped drill bits, to explore Venus’ hellish surface. Their drill then brought back soil samples from another world for analysis by NASA scientists.
ISAV-S active spectrometer onboard the lander detected ultraviolet radiation passing through Venus’ atmosphere, providing insight into cloud circulation patterns. Furthermore, this instrument provided data confirming Venus is covered with igneous materials.
Vega 2
Although not the first or most powerful spacecraft ever sent to Venus, Vega 1 and 2 remain among the most influential. They opened up Soviet space science research programs to wider Western participation and review.
Vega used its spectrometer and radar to examine interactions between Venus’ lower and upper atmospheres, providing insights into why Earth and Venus evolved differently over time.
EnVision
EnVision was developed with the support of both ESA and NASA member states, employing its suite of instruments to explore Venus in unprecedented depth. Its radar will map surface landforms including mysterious features known as tesserae; subsurface radar sounders will investigate material boundaries; while spectrometers will study atmospheric composition.
ESA’s Science Programme Committee has officially accepted this mission and it will now move towards selecting a European industrial contractor and initiating design and construction work on it. Launch is anticipated on an Ariane 6 rocket in 2031.