1978 Soviet uncrewed mission which successfully touched down on Venus
Venera 12
Venera 12 model
Operator
Soviet Academy of Sciences
COSPAR ID
1978-086A 1978-086C
SATCAT no.
11025 12028
Mission duration
Travel: 3 months and 6 days Lander: 110 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type
4V-1
Bus
4MV
Launch mass
4,457.9 kg (9,828 lb)[1]
Dry mass
1,600 kg (3,500 lb)
Dimensions
2.3 m × 2.7 m × 5.7 m (7.5 ft × 8.9 ft × 18.7 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date
14 September 1978, 02:25:13 UTC[1]
Rocket
Proton-K/D-1 8K82K
Launch site
Baikonur 81/23
End of mission
Last contact
18 April 1980[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference system
Geocentric
Regime
Low Earth
Semi-major axis
6,569 kilometres (4,082 mi)
Perigee altitude
177 kilometres (110 mi)
Apogee altitude
205 kilometres (127 mi)
Inclination
51.5°
Flyby of Venus
Spacecraft component
Venera 12 flight platform
Closest approach
19 December 1978
Distance
~35,000 kilometers (22,000 mi)
Venus lander
Spacecraft component
Venera 12 descent craft
Landing date
21 December 1978, 03:30
Landing site
7°S294°E / 7°S 294°E / -7; 294
Venera
← Venera 11
Venera 13 →
The Venera 12 (Russian: Венера-12 meaning Venus 12) was an uncrewed Soviet space mission designed to explore the planet Venus. Venera 12 was launched on 14 September 1978 at 02:25:13 UTC.[3]
After separating from its flight platform on 19 December 1978, the Venera 12 lander entered the Venus atmosphere two days later at 11.2 kilometres per second (7.0 mi/s). During its descent, the lander employed aerodynamic braking followed by parachute braking, ending with atmospheric braking. After a nearly one-hour descent, a soft landing was made at 06:30 Moscow time (0330 UT) on 21 December. Touchdown speed was 7–8 metres per second (23–26 ft/s); landing coordinates are 7°S294°E / 7°S 294°E / -7; 294. Continuing for about 110 minutes after touchdown, the lander transmitted data to the flight platform for about 110 minutes until the flight platform, which remained in a heliocentric orbit, moved out of range. Venera 11 and 12 carried identical instruments.[3]
^ abSiddiqi, Asif (2018). Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016(PDF) (second ed.). NASA History Program Office.
^Siddiqi, Asif A. (2018). Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016(PDF). The NASA history series (second ed.). Washington, DC: NASA History Program Office. pp. 152–153. ISBN 978-1-62683-042-4. LCCN 2017059404. SP2018-4041.
The Venera12 (Russian: Венера-12 meaning Venus 12) was an uncrewed Soviet space mission designed to explore the planet Venus. Venera12 was launched on...
The Venera (Russian: Вене́ра, pronounced [vʲɪˈnʲɛrə], which means "Venus" in Russian) program was the name given to a series of space probes developed...
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The Venera 11 (Russian: Венера-11 meaning Venus 11) was a Soviet uncrewed space mission which was part of the Venera program to explore the planet Venus...
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atmospheric entry destroyed the spacecraft in August 1992. Also in 1978, Venera 11 and Venera12 flew past Venus, dropping descent vehicles on December 21 and December...
interplanetary flight, Venera 1, followed by many essential interplanetary firsts, such as the first soft landing on another planet by Venera 7 in 1970. These...
Venera 7 (Russian: Венера-7, lit. 'Venus 7') was a Soviet spacecraft, part of the Venera series of probes to Venus. When it landed the Venusian surface...
Mars 3, Mars 4, Mars 6 and Venera 11, whilst Area 24 was used by Mars 2, Mars 5, Mars 7, Venera 9, Venera 10 and Venera12. Several Luna probes were also...
mission change in the Venera program, following on from the cancellation of the American Halley mission in 1981. A later Venera mission was canceled and...
Union followed by the United States have soft landed probes on the surface. Venera 7 was the first lander overall and first for the Soviet Union, touching...
2019. "Venera12 Descent Craft". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019. "In Depth | Venera12". Solar...
quadrangle, to which it gave its name. Four Soviet landers, Venera 11, Venera12, Venera 13 and Venera 14, landed on the eastern side of Phoebe Regio and performed...
or shining one), "son of Shahar (Dawn)" in the Hebrew version of Isaiah 14:12. Eosphorus/Hesperus was said to be the father of Ceyx and Daedalion. In some...
of lightning. There have been attempts to observe lightning from the Venera 11, 12, 13, and 14 landers, however no lightning activity was recorded, but...
Venera 2 (Russian: Венера-2 meaning Venus 2), also known as 3MV-4 No.4 was a Soviet spacecraft intended to explore Venus. A 3MV-4 spacecraft launched as...
Soviet Venera 5 and Venera 6 probes were crushed by high pressure while still 18 km above the surface. Following landers such as Venera 7 and Venera 8 succeeded...
have communicated by the Soviet DSN include: Venera 11 and Venera12Venera 13, Venera 14, Venera 15, Venera 16 Vega program Astron Phobos program Granat...
Venera 4 (Russian: Венера-4, lit. 'Venus-4'), also designated 4V-1 No.310, was a probe in the Soviet Venera program for the exploration of Venus. The...
continued to another destination. "Venera 3 NSSDCA Spacecraft Details". Nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 5 February 2023. "Venera 4 NSSDCA Spacecraft Details"...
Retrieved 6 March 2015. "The Venus Transit 2004". European Southern Observatory. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 6...
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