1984-125A
The final probes in the 4MV series were the Venera-Galley (VeGa) probes, 5VK No. 901 and No. 902. Vega 1 (spacecraft 901) was launched on 1984 Dec 15 from Baikonur by Proton-K with an 11S824M fourth stage.
|
| Vega-1 |
| |
|
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|
|
| 1984 Dec 15 | 0916:24 | Launch by Proton | KB |
| | 0925 | Stage 3 MECO |
| | 0929? | 11S824M burn 1 |
| | 0931? | 11S824M MECO1 | 181 x 217 x 51.6 |
| | 1030? | 11S824M burn 2 | |
| | 1034 | Asc node |
| | 1038? | 11S824M MECO2 | Solar orbit |
| | 1038? | 11S824M sep |
| | 1950? | Pass EL1:4 |
| 1984 Dec 18 | | TCM-1 |
| 1984 Dec 20 | 1730? | Leave Earth sphere |
| 1985 Jun? | TCM-2 |
| 1985 Jun 7 | 1900? | Enter Venus sphere |
| 1985 Jun 11 | 0330? | Venus encounter, 39000 km |
| 1985 Jun 14 | 0930? | Leave Venus sphere |
| 1985? | | TCM |
| 1986 Mar 6 | 0720:06 | Halley encounter, 8912 km at 0.7923AU from Sun |
1987 | | Decommissioned |
Payload:
- Vidicon camera
- Plasma wave analyser
- Dust counter
- Neutral mass spectrometer
- Plasmag ion/solar wind analyser
- Opt-UV spectrometer
- IKS IR spectrometer 2.5-12mu,7-14 mu
- Magnetometer
1984-125E
The Vega-1 Spuskaemiy Apparat separated from Vega-1 on 1985 Jun 9 and entered on a -430 km periapsis trajectory. It landed on Venus on Jun 10, at +07 11 latitude, 177 48 longitude and 1.5 km below mean 6050 km radius. It transmitted for 21 minutes and surface conditions were 95 atm, 738 K. During descent, it deployed a balloon, the Aerostatniy Zond.
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| Vega-1 SA |
| |
|
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|
|
| 1985 Jun 9 | | Sep from Vega-1 |
| 1985 Jun 11 | 0159:49 | Entry, 10.75 km/s 18.23 deg 125 km |
| | | 93 km begin science data |
| | 0200:27 | Drogue para deploy 65 km 280 m/s |
| |
| | | Begin 64 min descent |
| | 0200:38 | E+1 min Heat shield upper half sep, 64 km 160 m/s |
| | 0200:38 | Balloon sep and parachute, (from upper half) 57 km 30m/s |
| | 0200:38 | Deploy main chute 64.5 km |
| | 0200:42 | Lower half shell sep 63 km, 100 m/s |
| | 0209:37 | Main chute release 47 km 20 m/s |
| | 0232 | 18 km, valve failed, XRFS deploy |
| | 0302:54 | Landed on Venus |
| | 0324 | End of transmission, 21 min |
| 1985 Jun 13 | 0100? | AZ failed |
Payload:
- Aerostatniy Zond (deployed)
- Temp, pressure
- ISAV UV spectrometer
- VM-4 hygrometer, H20 concentration
- IPF aerosol analyser
- ISAV-A particle size spectrometer/nephelometer
- Sigma-3 gas phase chromatograph
- BDRP-AM25 XR spectrometer
- Malachit GCMS mass spectrometer
- Orage: electrical storms analyser
- GS-15-SCV gamma ray spectrometer (surface)
- Sample scoop (surface)
- X-ray flourescence spectrometer (surface)
1984-125F
The 3-m balloon was ejected from the Vega-1 Spusakaemiy Apparat during its descent at an altitude of 55 km. It operated in the Venusian atmosphere for 47 hours.
The AZ (Cruising Balloon) consists of the nacelle and a 3.4m diameter, 12 kg balloon made of Ftorlon fabric covered with varnish and inflated with helium, attached to the nacelle with a 12 m cable. The nacelle is 1.0m long, 0.13m dia and 7 kg mass, and the total AZ mass is 21 kg.
There is a toroidal container on the upper surface of the lander's upper aerodynamic stabilizer which contains the balloon wrapped around the central science cylinder. The toroid cover and balloon are ejected with the upper half reentry shell.
After travelling 9000 km, the balloon entered the Venus dayside, and solar heating caused the envelope to expand and burst.
|
| Vega 1 AZ |
| |
|
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|
|
| 1985 Jun 10 | | Sep from Vega-1 SA, alt 55 km |
| 1985 Jun 12 | 0200:38 | E+1 min Heat shield upper half sep, 64 km 160 m/s |
| | 0201:00 | Balloon sep 62 km |
| | 0201:08 | Balloon drogue parachute, 57 km 30m/s |
| | 0203:38 | Balloon main para |
| | 0206:10 | "Input" at 176.9 8.1N |
| | 0206:38 | Toroidal lower half sep |
| | 0206:58 | Fill balloon envelope 55 km 8m/s |
| | 0210:48 | Parachute and filling system sep 53 km, 5m/s |
| | 0211? | Ballast release H=50 km |
| | 0215? | Begin drift after 15 min, 54 km |
| 1985 Jun 13 | 1220 | Terminator passage 97.5E 8.1Nm after 8500 km range |
| 1985 Jun 14 | 0038 | End of transmissions at 68.8E 8.1N after 11600 km range |
|
Payload:
- Temperature and pressure sensors
- Wind velocity sensor
