Venera 10

Venera 10

Venera 10
Mission type Venus orbiter / lander
Operator Lavochkin
COSPAR ID 1975-054A
1975-054D
SATCAT no. 7947
8423
Mission duration Travel: 4 months and 9 days
Orbiter: 144 days
Lander: 65 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type 4V-1 No. 661
Manufacturer Lavochkin
Launch mass 5,033 kg (11,096 lb)
BOL mass 2,230 kg (4,920 lb)
Landing mass 1,560 kg (3,440 lb)
Dimensions 2.7 m × 2.3 m × 5.7 m (8.9 ft × 7.5 ft × 18.7 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date June 14, 1975 (1975-06-14), 03:00:31 UTC
Rocket Proton with upper and escape stages
Launch site Baikonur 81/24
End of mission
Last contact March 26, 1976 (March 26, 1976)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Cytherocentric
Eccentricity 0.8798
Pericytherion 1,620 kilometers (1,010 mi)
Apocytherion 113,900 kilometers (70,800 mi)
Inclination 29.5°
Period 49.4 hours
Revolution no. 71
Venus orbiter
Orbital insertion October 23, 1975
Venus lander
Spacecraft component Venera 10 descent craft
Landing date 02:17, October 25, 1975
Landing site 15°25′N 291°31′E / 15.42°N 291.51°E / 15.42; 291.51
(near Beta Regio)

Venera 10 (Russian: Венера-10 meaning Venus 10), or 4V-1 No. 661,[1] was a Soviet unmanned space mission to Venus. It consisted of an orbiter and a lander. It was launched on June 14, 1975 03:00:31 UTC and had a mass of 5033 kg (11096 lb).[2]

Orbiter

The orbiter entered Venus orbit on October 23, 1975. Its mission was to serve as a communications relay for the lander and to explore cloud layers and atmospheric parameters with several instruments and experiments:[3]

The orbiter consisted of a cylinder with two solar panel wings and a high gain parabolic antenna attached to the curved surface. A bell-shaped unit holding propulsion systems was attached to the bottom of the cylinder, and mounted on top was a 2.4 meter sphere which held the landers. To reach Venus, the spacecraft traveled in a heliocentric orbit from Earth to the planet with perihelion of 0.72 AU, apohelion of 1.02 AU, eccentricity of 0.17, inclination of 2.3 degrees and orbital period of 294 days.

Lander

Photograph of the venusian surface obtained by the photometer of the lander

On October 23, 1975, this spacecraft was separated from the Orbiter, and landing was made with the sun near zenith, at 0517 UT, on October 25. A system of circulating fluid was used to distribute the heat load. This system, plus precooling prior to entry, permitted operation of the spacecraft for 65 min after landing. During descent, heat dissipation and deceleration were accomplished sequentially by protective hemispheric shells, three parachutes, a disk-shaped drag brake, and a compressible, metal, doughnut-shaped, landing cushion.[3]

Landing area of Venera 10 as mapped by the Magellan orbiter

It landed near the border area between Beta Regio and Hyndla Regio[4] (within a 150 km radius of 15°25′N 291°31′E / 15.42°N 291.51°E / 15.42; 291.51), three days after the touchdown of, and 2200 km from Venera 9.[5] Venera 10 measured a surface windspeed of 3.5 m/s. Other measurements included atmospheric pressure at various heights, and temperature, and surface light levels. Venera 10 was the second probe to send back black and white television pictures from the Venusian surface (after Venera 9). Venera 10 photographs showed lava rocks of pancake shape with lava or other weathered rocks in between. Planned 360 degree panoramic pictures could not be taken because, as with Venera 9, one of two camera lens covers failed to come off, limiting pictures to 180 degrees.

The lander communicated with Earth using the Venera 10 orbiter as a communication relay.[2]

Lander Payload:[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Zak, Anatoly. "Venera-9 and 10". Russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 "NSSDC Master Catalog - Venera 10". NASA National Science Data Center. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Mitchell, Don P. "First Pictures of the Surface of Venus". Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Andrew LePage, Venera 9 and 10 to Venus, October 22, 2015 (accessed 19 February 2016)
  5. ↑ Interplanetary Spacecraft
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