Page 53 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

Early probes
In 1962 Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to fly past Venus. It had no cameras, but recorded temperature measurements and showed conclusively that Venus was extremely hot.
Apart from the antenna on the base of the spacecraft, necessary because of the long distance back to Earth, Mariner 2 was very similar to the Ranger series of spacecraft sent to photograph the Moon between July 1964 and March 1965.
The first Venus orbiters were Venera 9 and 10 in October, 1975, arriving on the 22nd and 25th, respectively. When they got there, they dropped the first landers to return pictures from the surface.
 The surface of Venus as photographed by Venera.
gravitational field The region surrounding a body in which that body’s gravitational force can be felt.
launcher A system of propellant tanks and rocket motors or engines designed to lift a payload into space. It may, or may not, be part of a space vehicle.
momentum The mass of an object multiplied by its velocity.
probe An unmanned spacecraft designed to explore our solar system and beyond.
slingshot trajectory A path chosen to use the attractive force of gravity to increase the speed of a spacecraft.
solar panels Large flat surfaces covered with thousands of small photoelectric devices that convert solar radiation into electricity.
trajectory The curved path followed by a projectile.
truss Tubing arrayed in the form of triangles and designed to make a strong frame.
velocity A more precise word to describe how something is moving, because movement has both a magnitude (speed) and a direction.
Parachute container
Aerodynamic brake used to assist landing
The spacecraft utilized a camera system and
a variety of other complex instruments to investigate the surface.
Venera
 The Venera project was a series of unmanned Soviet probes sent to Venus. In February 1966 Venera 3 was the first spacecraft to strike another planet. In 1969 Venera 5 and 6 made soft landings on Venus, but were destroyed by the heat of the planet’s surface. In 1975 Venera
9 and 10 transmitted the first closeup photographs of the planet’s surface.
This is a diagram of the probe sent down from Venera to the surface.
Shock-absorbing collar for landing
53