Good News In History, October 22
Good News In History, October 22 50 years ago today, Venera 9, the Soviet Union orbiter-lander spacecraft, became the first mission to enter orbit around Venus, and to return images from the surface of another planet. The key design feature of the lander was that it had to remain operational under conditions of extreme heat. This meant that not just all the delicate instruments, but the parachute and other accessories all had to be built to withstand 900°F. READ about what it told us of our nearest neighbor… (1975) replica of Venera 9 – credit Stolbovsky CC 4.0. SA. Many of the instruments began working immediately after touchdown and the cameras were operational 2 minutes later. These instruments revealed a smooth surface with numerous stones. The lander measured a light level of 14,000 lux, similar to that of Earth in full daylight but with no direct sunshine. Venera 9 measured clouds that were 30–40 km (19–25 mi) thick with bases at 30–35 km (19–22 mi) altitude. It also measured atmosp…
