Vega balloons in the atmosphere of Venus
Globos de Vega en la atmósfera de Venus
- Date
- junio de 1985 · confidence high
- Place
- Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
- Credited to
- Lavochkin, CNES and the Soviet Space Research Institute (IKI)
- Field
- Movement
What was discovered
The Vega 1 and 2 probes each released a lander and a helium balloon that drifted for two days at about 54 km altitude on Venus. It was the first exploration of another planet using balloons.
The balloons, designed with France's CNES, were an early example of East-West cooperation. The Vega probes used Venus's gravity assist to go on to Halley.
What it led to
- measurement of 240 km/h winds in Venus's cloud layer
- after Venus, the probes went on to Halley (1986) in the Vega mission
- proposals for aerobots on Venus and Titan