Venera 3
 | |
| Mission type | Venusatmospheric probe withflybyspacecraft |
|---|---|
| Operator | OKB-1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1965-092A |
| SATCATno. | 1733 |
| Mission duration | 105 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | 3MV-3No.1 |
| Manufacturer | Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 960 kg (2,120 lb) |
| Landing mass | 377 kg (831 lb) |
| Dimensions | 4.2 m × 1.1 m (13.8 ft × 3.6 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 November 1965, 04:19UTC |
| Rocket | MolniyaM |
| Launch site | Baikonur31/6 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Heliocentric |
| Perihelion altitude | 0.68AU |
| Aphelion altitude | 0.99 AU |
| Inclination | 4.29° |
| Period | 277 days |
| Venusimpact(failed landing) | |
| Impact date | 1 March 1966 |
| Impact site | 20°N80°E/ 20°N 80°E |
Venera 3(‹See Tfd›Russian:Венера-3meaningVenus 3) was aVenera programspace probethat was built and launched by theSoviet Unionto explore the surface ofVenus.It was launched on 16 November 1965 at 04:19UTCfromBaikonur,Kazakhstan,USSR.The probe comprised an entry probe, designed to enter the Venus atmosphere and parachute to the surface, and a carrier/flyby spacecraft,[1][2]which carried the entry probe to Venus and also served as a communications relay for the entry probe.
History
[edit]In 1965, the Central Committee, frustrated at the poor track record ofSergei Korolev's OKB-1 design bureau, reassigned the planetary probe program to the Lavochkin Bureau. In over two dozen attempts dating back to 1958,Luna 2andLuna 3were the only probes to complete all of their mission objectives. In the meantime, the United States had succeeded with theMariner 2Venus probe andMariner 4Mars probe, and after a long string of lunar probe failures,Ranger 6successfully impacted on the Moon (with a failed TV system), andRanger 7successfully sent back a series of TV pictures.
TheLavochkinBureau began a comprehensive testing program of the Venera and Luna probes, while Korolev had always opposed the idea of bench tests except on crewed spacecraft. Among other design flaws they discovered was that the Venera landers, after being subjected to a centrifuge test, failed at half the G forces that they were supposed to handle.
Mission
[edit]The mission of this spacecraft was to land on the Venusian surface. The entry body contained a radio communication system, scientific instruments, electrical power sources, and medallions bearing theCoat of Arms of the Soviet Union.The probe was sterilised before launch.[3]
The probe's initial trajectory missed Venus by 60,550km and a course correction manoeuvre was carried out on 26 December 1965 which brought the probe onto a collision course with the planet.[4]Contact with the probe was lost on 15 February 1966 likely due to overheating.[4]
The entry probe crashed on Venus on 1 March 1966, making Venera 3 the first space probe to hit the surface of another planet.[5][6]
Instruments
[edit]Power system
[edit]The power system for the carrier spacecraft was notable in that it was the first operational use ofGallium Arsenide(GaAs)solar cellsin space. GaAs solar cells, manufactured byKvant,were chosen because of their higher performance in high-temperature environments.[7]Two two-square-metersolar panelscharged the rechargeable batteries.
The entry probe was battery-powered using non-rechargeable batteries
Interplanetary Bus
[edit]Non-scientific equipment
[edit]- Transmitters and receivers atUHFfrequency;
- Telemetryswitches;
- System of alignment and correction station movement: micromotors, gas jets, electrooptical probe position sensors, andgyroscopes;
- Computer controller of all probe systems.
Scientific equipment
[edit]- Three flux-gatemagnetometerto measure interplanetarymagnetic fields;
- Discharge counters andsemiconductordetector for the study ofcosmic rays;
- Special sensors (traps) to measure the flow of charged particles and determination of low energy consumption of the amounts ofsolar plasmaflows and their energy spectra;
- Piezoelectricsensors for researchmicrometeorites;
- Measurement of emissions of cosmic radio in thewavelengthintervals of 150 and 1500 meters and to 15 km.[8]
The probe differed from Venera 2 in not having a micrometeorite detector.[4]
Lander
[edit]- Photometer[4]
- Gas Analyzer[4]
- Temperature, pressure and density sensors[4]
- Movement detector[4]
- Gamma Ray Counter[4]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^Wade, Mark."Venera 3MV-3".Encyclopedia Astronautica.Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2016.Retrieved3 April2018.
- ^Krebs, Gunter."Venera 3 (3MV-3 #1)".Gunter's Space Page.Retrieved3 April2018.
- ^Ulivi, Paolo; Harland, David M (2007).Robotic Exploration of the Solar System Part I: The Golden Age 1957-1982.Springer. p. 46.ISBN9780387493268.
- ^abcdefghHarvey, Brian (2007).Russian Planetary Exploration History, Development, Legacy and Prospects.Springer-Praxis. pp. 94–97.ISBN9780387463438.
- ^Siddiqi, Asif A. (2018).Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016(PDF).The NASA history series (second ed.). Washington, DC: NASA History Program Office. p. 1.ISBN9781626830424.LCCN2017059404.SP2018-4041.
- ^"Venera 3".NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive.
- ^G.F.X. Strobl, G. LaRoche, K.-D. Rasch, and G. Hey, "2 From Extraterrestrial to Terrestrial Applications," inHigh-Efficient Low-Cost Photovoltaics: Recent Developments,Springer 2009.
- ^The interplanetary space probes "Venera-2" and "Venera-3"(inRussian). Retrieved 17 February 2017.
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