Venera 6
Venera 6 — Venera 5's twin, launched five days after it (10 January 1969). It entered the night side of Venus on 17 May 1969 and transmitted for 51 minutes, reaching 10–12 km above the surface. Together the two probes gave a more precise measure of what the atmosphere is made of.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- Lavochkin (USSR)
- Launched
- January 10, 1969
- Status
- Completed
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 0.726 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 0.343 AU
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Venus
- 0.107 AU
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
Venera 6 was Venera 5's twin, launched five days after it on 10 January 1969. On 17 May, 25,000 km from Venus, it released its probe, which entered the night side of the atmosphere at 06:05 UT and opened its parachute. For 51 minutes it sent readings every 45 seconds, reaching 10 to 12 km above the surface before the temperature and pressure stopped it. Its photometer did not work, but it sampled the atmosphere at pressures of 2 and 10 bar. Together, Venera 5 and 6 gave a more precise measure of what the atmosphere of Venus is made of. Neither probe was built to reach the surface; the next pair of Soviet probes would be designed to land.
- 1969Launch toward VenusLaunch
Venera 5's twin sets out five days behind it.
51 minutes of readings, down to 10–12 km above the surface.
Images
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