New Improved Photos of Venus!

[On the Road]

OK, so they're computer-enhanced images taken from the original data of old Soviet missions. But they're much better quality than the originals. And I had never seen some of these close-ups:



The Soviets also did a lot more with Venus than I had realized:

(T)he Soviet exploration of Venus, from 1961 to 1984, was an impressive effort that put to the test the fundamentals of interplanetary spacecraft design and remote sensing. Successful Soviet missions to Venus included 3 atmospheric probes, 10 landings, 4 orbiters, 11 flybys or impacts, and 2 balloon probes of the clouds, he noted.

You've got to see the larger photos from the links. This is just as exciting to me as the Mars photos were.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/venus_revisit_040422.html

[trotsky]

1. That's very cool.

I also had no idea the Soviets had done so much work on Venus. Thanks for the link!

[On the Road]

2. Some More Venus Surface Image Links:

Started searching since the other site had so few photos:

http://www.mentallandscape.com/V_DigitalImages.htm


http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Venus


http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-venus.html
(scroll down to suface views)

[Pale_Rider]

3. Also check out the Mitchell's website ...

... where he offers a history of Soviet Venus probes and larger imagery (some redone in color).

http://www.mentallandscape.com/V_Venus.htm

[hunter]

6. gorgeous...

...simply gorgeous

[On the Road]

8. One Thing That This Makes Me Realize

is how much the media was distorted during the cold war. If it were a US or even a European lander, it would have gotten the coverage the Mars landers have gotten this year. Headlines and massive TV coverage.

But no, it was the Russians. Can't give them any good press. A photo or two and then everyone forgets abouts it.

And some of these were taken almost 30 years ago!

[Canuckistanian]

4. It's amazing those photos even exist

I believe the lander only lasted a few hours before the heat and extremely corrosive atmosphere shut it down.

[Ready4Change]

5. Visibilities much better than I imagined

I'd always had the impression that the atmosphere would be very murky on Venus's surface. Those pictures are much clearer than I would have guessed.

[damnraddem]

7. Are they pornographic?

Does she have arms -- or is that only the statue that lacks them?