May 17, 2022
On this date in 1969, the Soviet Union’s unmanned probe Venera 6 successfully lands on Venus. The probe was able to send back 51 minutes of atmospheric data before succumbing to the intense pressure and temperature on Venus’ surface. Although this is today seen as a massive triumph for the Soviet Space Program, at the time it was overshadowed by the launch of the crewed Apollo 10 mission the following day.
An image of Venus made with data recorded by NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974. The thick atmosphere makes exploring this planet difficult. Image credit: JPL/NASA
