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Venera 16By Marty McDowell/NASA
On June 7, 1983, the Soviet Union launched Venera 16.
The Venera 15 and 16 spacecraft were
identical and were based on modifications to the the orbiter portions of
the Venera 9 and 14 probes. Each spacecraft consisted of a 5 m long
cylinder with a 6 m diameter, 1.4 m tall parabolic dish antenna for the
synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at one end. A 1 meter diameter parabolic
dish antenna for the radio altimeter was also located at this end. The
electrical axis of the radio altimeter antenna was lined up with the axis
of the cylinder. The electrical axis of the SAR deviated from the
spacecraft axis by 10 degrees.
During imaging, the radio altimeter would be lined up with the center
of the planet (local vertical) and the SAR would be looking off to the
side at 10 degrees. A bulge at the opposite end of the cylinder held fuel
tanks and propulsion units. Two square solar arrays extended like wings
from the sides of the cylinder. A 2.6 m radio dish antenna for
communications was also attached to the side of the cylinder.
Source: NASA.
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The Planets. BBC, 1999.
Understanding
The Universe. A&E, 1996.
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SPACE SPECS |
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| | Venera 15 spacecraft | | | | Courtesy of NASA | |
|  | Launched: June 7, 1983
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| | Destination: Venus
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| | Arrival: October 14, 1983
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| | Return: N/A
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| | Nation: Soviet Union
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| | Mission: Orbit
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