[FPSPACE] Venera 7 - "lost" its parachute just before touchdown?

[Larry Klaes]

Thank you, Anthony, I don't mind being wrong at all
in this case - I just wish I knew about it a few 
months earlier. :^)  So what is their proof of the
premature parachute detachment?

I would like to see a transcript of that interview, 
not because I have doubts, but for its historic value.

Any other interesting items on the Soviet lunar and
planetary program that you talked about?

Larry


At 03:37 PM 08/18/2000 -0400, Anatoly Zak wrote:

>This story is based largely on my interview with Perminov, the project chief
>at Lavochkin (he is also author of Difficult Road to Mars. He said that they
>had a proof that Venera-7's chute broke off at the altitude of 10 meters and
>the craft survived a free fall. It fell on its side, that's why its signal
>was so weak. I have Perminov's interview on tape if there are any doubts.
>
>Anatoly Zak
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Larry Klaes [mailto:lklaes@bbn.com]
>Sent: 18 августа 2000 г. 14:54
>To: fpspace@solar.rtd.utk.edu
>Cc: David Grinspoon; Andrew LePage; chris_schmidt@wgbh.org
>Subject: [FPSPACE] Venera 7 - "lost" its parachute just before
>touchdown?
>
>
>The first space probe to send data from the surface of another 
>planet was launched on thirty years ago this week on August 17, 
>1970 from the USSR.  
>
>Named Venera 7, it reached the surface of the planet Venus on 
>December 15, 1970 and radioed back confirmation that the planet's 
>surface air pressure was ninety times that of Earth and over 475 
>degrees Celsius (900 degree Fahrenheit) on a global scale.
>
>But the information did not come easy...
>
>The URL:
>
>http://www.space.com/news/spacehistory/venera7_000817.html
>
>
>One item in this article I find inaccurate is the claim
>that the main descent parachute on Venera 7 was "lost" at
>an altitude of only 10 meters (32 feet), seeming to end
>the mission right there.  I have never read this before,
>not to mention how would they know that Venera 7 lost its
>parachute or what would make such an event happen?  
>
>All reports I have read say that Venera 7 sent signals for 
>35 minutes while descending through the air, then suddenly 
>seemed to stop transmitting.  Apparently the probe tipped 
>over upon landing, making its antennae point away from Earth, 
>greatly reducing the signal strength.
>
>In addition, even if the probe fell from that low height, it 
>certainly would not be destroyed.  The later Veneras came 
>down from much higher altitudes without the aid of parachutes 
>and survived because the air is so thick (granted they had
>aerobrake discs).  Any comments on this article item?
>
>
>Some relevant Web sites on Venera 7:
>
>http://www.friends-partners.org/~mwade/project/venera.htm
>
>http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1970-060A.html
>
>http://vsm.host.ru/e_venera.htm
>
>http://sunra.colorado.edu:80/david/ch3.html
>
>http://www.seds.org/pub/info/newsletters/ejasa/1993/jasa9302.txt
>
>
>This article from Sven Grahn includes the sounds 
>of the companion probe to Venera 7 that did not make
>it out of Earth orbit and was called Cosmos 359.
>I always find it to be a haunting piece:
>
>http://www.users.wineasy.se/svengrahn/trackind/Kosm359/Kosm359.htm
>
>Larry
>
>
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