Venera 9 Orbiter

Launch data: Designation  07915 / 75050A Launch date  08 Jun 1975 - 02:38 UT Launch site  B, LC-81/24 Launch vehicle  Proton-K/D 8K82K (#286-01/11S824) Mission  Venus lander Satellite type  4V-1 N° 660 Heliocentric orbit Perihelion / Aphelion  0.72 x 1.02 Eccentricity  0.17 Inclination  2.3? deg Period  295 days Venus orbit on 1975 Oct 22.17: Perihelion / Aphelion  1510 x 112200 km Eccentricity  0.879 Inclination  34.17 deg Period  2898 min

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor  Lavochkin Operator   Platform   Mass at launch  3376 kg (full) Dry Mass   kg Basic shape  Cylinder + 2 panels Dimension  2.3 dia - 2.7 long - 5.7 span Solar array   Stabilization   DC power   Design lifetime   -

Venera lander

Mission details:

• Entered orbit around Venus on 1975 Oct 22.17.
• Ejected capsule (08411 / 75050D) onto Venus; soft-landed on Venus 22 Oct 1975.

• The Soviet Union's Venera 9 lander snapped this photo of Venus during its 53-minute mission of the planet's hellish surface. It is one of the first photos sent back from the surface of another planet.
• The image is of the surface of Venus at about 32 S, 291 E. The lander touched down at 5:13 UT with the sun near zenith on 22 October 1975 and operated for 53 minutes, allowing return of this single image.
• The white object at the bottom of the image is part of the lander. The distortion is caused by the Venera imaging system. Angular and partly weathered rocks, about 30 to 40 cm across, dominate the landscape, many partly buried in soil. The horizon is visible in the upper left and right corners.