Venera 8
Venera 8 — the second landing on Venus and the first on its day side (22 July 1972). It worked on the surface for 63 minutes, measured about 470 °C and 90 atmospheres, made the first measurements of the soil, and found the light at the ground similar to an overcast day on Earth — bright enough for photography.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- Lavochkin (USSR)
- Launched
- March 27, 1972
- Status
- Completed
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 0.726 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 0.335 AU
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Venus
- 12,998,258 km
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
Venera 8 made the second landing on Venus and the first on its sunlit side. Launched on 27 March 1972, it carried a 495 kg lander designed to withstand 105 atmospheres and 500 °C, with a stronger parachute than Venera 7's, which had torn. Before arrival the lander was cooled to −15 °C. On 22 July 1972 it entered the atmosphere on the day side, about 500 km from the morning terminator, slowed from 11.6 km/s, and descended by parachute, transmitting from about 50 km up. It landed at 09:32 UT at about 10.7° S, 335.25° E, early in the Venusian morning, with the Sun low in the sky. It kept sending data for 63 minutes on the surface. It confirmed Venera 7's surface readings — about 470 °C and 90 atmospheres — and measured the light at the ground: similar to an overcast day on Earth, bright enough for the cameras of later landers. It made the first measurements of the surface material of Venus, and profiled the clouds, detecting sulphuric acid. Its twin, launched four days later, never left Earth orbit: Kosmos 482.
- 1972Launch toward VenusLaunch
A lander built to survive 105 atmospheres sets out.
The first landing in daylight: 63 minutes of data from the surface.
- 1972First measurements of Venus's soilMilestone
It also finds the light at the surface enough for photography.
Images
Images from open archives · credit shown per image