On 5 March 1982, the Soviet Venera 14 lander reached the surface of Venus, ejected the protective cap from its camera lens, photographed the surrounding terrain — and then lowered its mechanical soil-testing arm directly onto the discarded lens cap, retur

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1. -2449s ago

   Venera 14 Lander Soil Sampling Error

   The Soviet Venera 14 lander reached Venus on 5 March 1982. After photographing the area, the probe's soil-testing arm sampled its own discarded lens cap. This occurred after the probe ejected the protective cover from its camera.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • The Venera 14 lander reached the surface of Venus on 5 March 1982.
   • The probe ejected its camera lens protective cap before photographing the terrain.
   • The mechanical soil-testing arm lowered directly onto the discarded lens cap.
   confidence 50%
2. 29d ago

   Soviet Venera 14 Lander Details Updated

   The Venera 14 lander reached the surface of Venus in March 1982. It operated for 57 minutes in temperatures near 465 degrees Celsius and pressures 75 times that of Earth. The probe photographed Phoebe Regio and used a penetrometer to take measurements, though it sampled its own lens cap.

   What's confirmed:

   • The Venera 14 lander reached the surface of Venus in March 1982.
   • Venera 14 operated for 57 minutes despite a planned lifespan of 32 minutes.
   • The probe encountered temperatures near 465 degrees Celsius and pressures 75 times that on Earth.
   • The lander photographed flat rocks and empty terrain in Phoebe Regio near the equator.
   • The probe's penetrometer measured the compressibility of its own ejected lens cap.
   • The Soviet Union developed the Venera program between 1961 and 1984.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • Venera 13 recorded the first sounds ever heard on another planet.
   confidence 90%
3. 34d ago

   Soviet Venera 14 Lander Measured Own Lens Cap on Venus

   The Soviet Venera 14 lander reached the surface of Venus on 5 March 1982. After photographing the terrain, the probe's soil-testing arm accidentally measured the compressibility of its own discarded lens cap. The mission provided data on the planet's surface despite this engineering error.

   What's confirmed:

   • The Soviet Venera 14 lander reached the surface of Venus on 5 March 1982.
   • Venera 14 photographed the surrounding terrain after ejecting its camera lens protective cap.
   • The probe's mechanical soil-testing arm landed on the discarded lens cap.
   • The lander returned a measurement of the compressibility of Soviet plastic instead of Venusian rock.
   • Venera 14 was launched on 4 November 1981 at 05:31:00 UTC.
   • The Soviet Union launched nearly 30 spacecraft at Venus.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • The Soviet Union was the only nation ever to land on the surface of Venus and send back color photographs.
   • Venus' retrograde rotation was caused by a moon-sized impactor.
   confidence 90%