Why the USSR was more interested in Venus than Mars and what successes it achieved in its study

Now the topic of studying Mars is very popular, but at the dawn of astronautics, when the space race was just beginning, Venus aroused much more interest among specialists from the USSR.

Soviet engineers began to actively study Venus in 1961, and almost two months before the first man into space in the USSR, the first spacecraft in the history of mankind (Venus-1) was launched, designed to study other planets.

Thus, the research of the mysterious, but at the same time so similar to the Earth planet Venus, was launched. In this material, I will tell you why Venus was chosen for study and, most importantly, what outstanding successes in its study were achieved by Soviet scientists.

Why everyone was so interested in Venus

In fact, Venus was a priority object in the study of the solar system, and it was not chosen by chance. Indeed, in many respects, it turned out to be quite close to the Earth.

So the diameter of Venus is only 5% less than the Earth's radius and is equal to 6051 km, and the mass of the planet is only 20% less than the mass of the Earth. At the same time, as it turned out much later, Venusian landscapes are quite reminiscent of earthly ones, since here you can also find plains, hills, and even mountains.

But before collecting this data, it was necessary to create unique research equipment and spacecraft, and absolutely from scratch.

Soviet spacecraft designed to study Venus

To study Venus, Soviet engineers developed a whole line of Venera spacecraft. So the first automated interplanetary vehicle called "Venus-1" went to the planet on February 12, 1961.

On the first spacecraft, cosmic radiation intensity meters were installed, strength of interplanetary magnetic fields, flows of charged particles of interplanetary gas, as well as flows Sun. On "Venera-1" there was a place for a device that registers micrometeorites.

It was Venera-1 that transmitted the first information related to the solar wind, cosmic radiation around the Earth, and also at a distance of 1.9 million kilometers from the planet. And it was Venera-1 that confirmed the presence of solar wind plasma in outer space.

Unfortunately, the last session with the apparatus was carried out on February 19, 1961. After the device did not get in touch. According to calculations, on May 19-20 of the same year, the device was supposed to pass at a distance of only 100,000 km from Venus.

Only four years have passed, and two automatic devices "Venera-2" and "Venera-3" were sent to Venus at once. At the same time, a descent module was even provided on the third vehicle.

And in March 1966, for the first time in the history of mankind, a module designed on Earth by Soviet engineers not only managed to reach another planet, but also entered the atmosphere of Venus. But the Venera-3 apparatus failed to transmit any information to Earth.

With the task of studying the atmosphere of Venus, the Venera-4 apparatus was also sent, which lowered the apparatus on a parachute system, which ceased to exist at an altitude of 22 km from the surface.

But before that, he managed to work for almost an hour and a half, and during this time he transmitted valuable information about composition of the atmosphere, which, as it turned out, almost entirely consists of carbon dioxide (on 90%).

Subsequent missions confirmed the first results, and, in particular, it was found that near the surface the temperature of the atmosphere rises to an impressive 475 degrees Celsius.

And also near the surface, despite the dense clouds, there is enough light for photography. This fact posed a challenge for engineers to create a device that can withstand extreme conditions.

First shots from another planet

So, Soviet engineers had plenty of data on the conditions on the surface of the planet, and, taking into account all available information, Soviet specialists created the Venera-9 spacecraft and "Venus-10".

So cameras were installed on the descent vehicles, these engineers tried to protect them from a huge pressure of 100 atmospheres and from a temperature of 500 degrees Celsius.

So Venera-9 and Venera-10 were launched into space on June 8 and 14, 1975, respectively. They reached Venus in October 1975 and were the first artificial satellites of the planet, and the descent modules made the first landing on the Venusian surface.

Already during the descent, the installed sensors showed that the Venusian thunderstorms were at least 25 times stronger than those on Earth, and subsequently transmitted the first panoramic images.

The television cameras that were installed on the new descent vehicles Venera-13 and Venera-14 that reached the Venusian surface in 1982 were seriously modernized, and as a result they were able to transmit unique shots that still excite many minds involved in space research.

At this, the Venera project was completed, but the study of the planet Venus was continued as part of the project of the Vega-1 and Vega-2 interplanetary stations, which were launched in 1985.

Is Venus no longer needed?

Yes, of course, today they talk more about Mars and even its possible colonization, but Venus is still not forgotten. So if everything goes according to plan, then by 2024-2025 the Venera-D apparatus will go to the second planet from the Sun (D-Long-lived), created in the Russian Federation, which will continue to explore the unfriendly and mysterious world Venus.

Did you like the material? Then don't forget to rate it and share it on your favorite social networks.

Thank you for your attention!