mars or venus

With all the extraterrestrial attention going towards Mars and the MER Spirit, I was excited to stumble across this site about the Soviet expeditions to Venus. The missions occurred between 1961 and 1984 and represent the “largest effort ever undertaken to study another planet.” Missions include “3 atmospheric probes, 10 landings, 4 orbiters, 11 flybys or impacts, and 2 balloon probes of the clouds.” This is pretty astounding, and I’m surprised I’ve never heard about it, although I guess I shouldn’t be—why would the US publicize soviet space successes? Very cool, nonetheless…

There are some great images here.

- posted 15 January 2004 in

Comments

Brett, Jan 15, 01:43 PM:
Fascinating. And yet, you can't help but look at the photos and think - it's a bunch of rocks. Rocks on Venus, yes, but still, it's a bunch of rocks. Sometimes I wonder why we spend so much money to get to Mars or Venus. Yes, scientific curiosity must be satisfied, but couldn't all that money be used to help preserve the one we happen to live on? Once we take care of this one, then let's find out how interesting those rocks are after that. Don't get me wrong, I dig NASA but man, these long-distance things cost a lot, and Bush is talking about giving them a billion dollars. If the money is there to give, give it to something that will really make a difference.
Brett, Jan 15, 02:15 PM:
I apologize. That was a rare non-Trekkie reaction, perhaps a little brusk. It really is cool that we can look at those pictures and say "that's the surface of another planet." It's astounding, frankly.
Ciam, Jan 15, 11:30 PM:
You're right--there are many other things in our society that should be funded. However, I believe that the money should come from other areas (the military, maybe?) as opposed to gutting NASA. In any case, the "Bush plan" doesn't seem to likely to succeed. As soon as he's not in office, congress/the next pres will gut the appropriations and NASA will be back to the underfunded agency we know and love. :-)
Brett, Jan 16, 12:16 AM:
Now that's positive thinking. I raise my coffee to you. (big smile)

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