Venera 11
Venera 11 — a flyby craft and lander (landed 25 December 1978). The lander worked for 95 minutes, but its camera's lens cover failed to come off and its soil sample was not delivered. Even so, it found evidence of lightning, sulphur and chlorine in the clouds, and carbon monoxide low in the atmosphere.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- Lavochkin (USSR)
- Launched
- September 9, 1978
- Status
- Completed
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 0.726 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 0.381 AU
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Venus
- 0.191 AU
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
Venera 11 began a new pattern for Soviet Venus missions: instead of an orbiter, the lander rode on a craft that flew past the planet and relayed its signal. Launched on 9 September 1978, it released its lander on 23 December, and on 25 December the lander touched down at 03:24 UT at 14° S, 299° E, after about an hour's descent. It transmitted for 95 minutes, until the flyby craft moved out of range, but two of its main experiments failed: the lens cover of its camera did not come off, so no pictures were returned, and its soil sample was not placed correctly into the analysis chamber. What its instruments did find was new: evidence of lightning and thunder, sulphur and chlorine in the clouds, and carbon monoxide low in the atmosphere. Its flyby craft went on around the Sun, measuring the space between the planets.
- 1978Venera 11 launches toward Venus on a Proton rocketLaunch
A lander on a flyby craft sets out for Venus.
95 minutes of data, but no pictures: its lens cover stays on.
- 1978Signs of lightningMilestone
It also finds sulphur and chlorine in the clouds and carbon monoxide low down.
Images
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