Key Takeaways:
- Venera 13, launched on October 30, 1981, as part of the Soviet Venera program, was dedicated to the exploration of Venus.
- The mission achieved the distinction of transmitting the first color panoramic imagery from the venusian surface, which depicted a golden-hued, dusty terrain interspersed with rock slabs.
- It also successfully returned the first audio recordings of wind from the surface of a planet other than Earth.
- Operating for approximately two hours in Venus's extreme conditions, Venera 13 relayed various instrumental data, including an analysis of the surface's chemical composition.
Part of the Soviet Venera program to explore Venus, Venera 13 launched on Oct. 30, 1981. Though not the first mission to return images of the venusian surface – Venera 9 had achieved that in 1975 – Venera 13 was the first to send color imagery. The panoramic shots it returned were golden hued due to the sunlight filtering through the atmosphere, and showed a dusty surface strewn with rock slabs. Venera also achieved a first when it sent the sounds of wind on Venus’ surface back to Earth – the first audio recordings from the surface of a planet other than Earth. Venera 13 lasted about two hours in Venus’ extreme conditions before shutting down, during which it returned data from a wide array of instruments, including an analysis of the chemical makeup of the surface.
