- Venera 8
Infobox_Spacecraft
Name = Venera 8
Caption = Venera 8
Organization =USSR
Major_Contractors =
Mission_Type = Lander
Satellite_Of =Venus
Orbital_Insertion_Date = Landed on22 July 1972
Launch =1972-03-27
Launch_Vehicle = Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
Decay =
Mission_Duration =1972-03-27 to22 July 1972
NSSDC_ID = 1972-021A
Webpage =
Mass = 1180 kg
Power =
Orbital_elements =
Semimajor_Axis =
Eccentricity =
Inclination =
Orbital_Period =
Apoapsis =
Periapsis =
Orbits =Venera 8 ( _ru. Венера-8) was a probe in the Soviet
Venera program for the exploration of Venus.*Launch time:
1972-03-27 at 04:15:01 UTC
*On-orbit dry mass: 1180 kgVenera 8 was a Venus atmospheric probe and lander. Its instrumentation included temperature, pressure, and light sensors as well as an
altimeter ,gamma ray spectrometer ,gas analyzer , and radio transmitters. The spacecraft took 117 days to reach Venus with one mid-course correction on6 April 1972 , separating from the bus (which contained acosmic ray detector,solar wind detector, andultraviolet spectrometer ) and entering the atmosphere on22 July 1972 at 08:37 UT. A refrigeration system attached to the bus was used to pre-chill the descent capsule's interior prior to atmospheric entry in order to prolong its life on the surface. Descent speed was reduced from 41,696 km/h to about 900 km/h byaerobraking . The 2.5 meter diameter parachute opened at an altitude of 60 km., and also measured the light level as being suitable for surface photography, finding it to be similar to the amount of light on Earth on an overcast day with roughly 1 km visibility.
Venera 8's
photometer measurements showed for the first time that the Venusian clouds end at a high altitude, and the atmosphere was relatively clear from there down to the surface. The on-board gamma ray spectrometer measured theuranium /thorium /potassium ratio of the surface rock, indicating it was similar togranite .External links
* [http://www.mentallandscape.com/V_Lavochkin1.htm Plumbing the Atmosphere of Venus]
* [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1972-021A Venera 8 NASA NSSDC Master Catalog Data]
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