St. Louis Science Center: Astronomy Fact Of The Day: March 1, 2022

Press release from St. Louis Science Center:

March 01, 2022

On this date in 1980, the Soviet spacecraft Venera 13 landed on the surface of Venus and transmitted the first color images from the surface of another planet. Additionally, the spacecraft was equipped with a microphone to record atmospheric noises, and the recordings sent back were the first audio recordings from another planet. The spacecraft lasted just over 2 hours before it was crushed by the high atmospheric pressure and temperature of Venus.

This press release was produced by St. Louis Science Center. The views expressed here are the author’s own.