Venera 12 Descent Craft

Courtesy of NASA's National Space Science Data Center

Launch Date: 1978-09-14

Description

The Venera 12 descent craft carried instruments designed to study the detailed chemical composition of the atmosphere, the nature of the clouds, and the thermal balance of the atmosphere. Separating from its flight platform on December 21, 1978, it made a soft landing on the surface after a descent time of approximately 1 hour. During this time, it employed aerodynamic braking followed by parachute braking and ending with atmospheric braking. The touchdown speed was 7-8 m/s. Information was transmitted to the flight platform for retransmittal to earth. It is unknown whether the Lander Probe carried an imaging system.