Written by April Ryder | published
It is certainly difficult to obtain images of Venus, however Science Alert “The images we have depict a very dangerous and strange planet,” he explains. Although Venus is very similar to Earth in size, composition, and density, the second rock from the Sun is far from safe or habitable for human life.
The surface of Venus is tightly enveloped in an atmosphere of toxic gases and acidic clouds. The average temperature on the surface of Venus is about 867 °F (464 °C), and the planet’s atmospheric pressure is approximately 100 times greater than that on Earth.
Venera 7 was the first space probe to make a successful soft landing on another planet.
Without protection, humans would not last more than a few seconds on the planet without exploding or burning up. Thanks to Venus’ thick, toxic atmosphere, the greenhouse effect has taken over, creating a very hostile place that is also difficult for humans to adequately explore.
Over the years, there have only been a handful of images dropped from Venus, and the last time the Soviet Union took those images was between 1961 and 1984. The Soviets ran a space program called Venera whose main goal was to explore the planet’s surface. Venus.
The program was considered a clear success after sending 16 different probes to the mysterious planet and landing eight out of 16 probes on the surface of Venus. Venera was the first program to successfully enter the atmosphere of another planet in 1966, and in 1970, Venera 7 was the first space probe ever to achieve a successful soft landing on another planet.
Of the eight probes that successfully landed on the surface of Venus, Venera 12 was the longest to survive before being destroyed by the planet’s hostile conditions. Venera 12 lasted for about two hours before it also crashed.
Although Venus is very similar to Earth in size, composition, and density, the second rock from the Sun is far from safe or habitable for human life.
Venera 9, 10, 13 and 14 were able to take panoramic images of Venus while on the planet’s surface. Venera 13 and 14 were also able to capture sound while exploring the mysterious orb. The planet’s video and audio are certainly on par with what you might see in a sci-fi movie.
The first images of Venus were taken in 1975, and the images produced were substandard relative to today’s images. However, it is easy to see that the surface is very rocky and desolate. In 1982, Venera 13 took some of the best-quality images of Venus’ surface, even showing the ominous yellow color blanketing the planet.
Venus gets its golden color from sunlight filtered through the toxic clouds covering the planet’s surface. When Brown University performed image enhancements and additional processing on old footage collected by the Venera probes, it revealed that the rocks and dirt that make up Venus’ surface have a dark gray color.
Venera 12 lasted for about two hours before it also crashed.
The dark gray rocks on the surface of Venus are likely volcanic rocks, as the planet is full of volcanoes. You can see the planet’s volcanic horizon quite clearly when you watch enhanced footage taken by the Russians more than 50 years ago. It is likely that some of the volcanoes on the planet’s surface are still active as well.
Regardless of its hostile environment, studying Earth’s closest celestial neighbor is useful to scientists today. It may be possible to learn some basic information regarding the planet’s evolution by studying changes seen on nearby planets such as Venus.
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