Talk:Venera 1

Untitled
Text courtesy NASA's National Space Science Data Center http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1961-003A
 * In this source the launch time is 02:09:00 UTC. However, other sources, like, state, that launch time is 00:34:36 UTC. My guess for this difference is that NASA considered the time of the start towards Venus, rather than the rocket launch time. The spacecraft started towards Venus after orbiting the Earth once, over equatorial Africa . The difference, ~1 hr 20 min, fits pretty well for orbiting time. If someone can get more on this, you are welcome. Cmapm 11:22, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Jonathan McDowell also states 00:34:36 UTC as the Molniya rocket launch time (off the ground). NASA says Venera 1 was launched along with an Earth orbiting launch platform (Tyazheliy Sputnik 5 (61-003C)) with a SL-6/A-2-e launcher. From a 229 x 282 km orbit, the Venera 1 automatic interplanetary station was launched from the platform towards Venus with the fourth stage Zond rocket. I think NASA gives the time of forth stage burn start or the time of spacecraft release (don't know how long a Molniya forth stage burns). I would also remove/replace Tyazheliy Sputnik 5 (means heavy Sputnik) text from the article, I think this is the name they given to the Molniya Block-L upper stage. And I replaced SL-6/A-2-e western launcher code with the "official" name Molniya.--Bricktop 11:59, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks for corrections and for the reference to Jonathan McDowell. I think, we should better rely on the list with clear references to the sources used, compiled by him, than to NASA info. It seems, that NASA made even worse mistake (?) concerning Luna 2 launch and impact moments (I corrected this yesterday). I'll give more details on its talk page in a while. Cmapm 15:52, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * First thing @&#1089;&#1090;&#1072;&#1088;&#1090;: thank you for your work on russian space missions. I worked couple of weeks ago on the german Venera article here and noticied some small errors on the NASA NSSDC page. Unfortunately can't remember them any more. Also some informations are maybe out of date, taken before the collapse of the USSR (for example launcher names). So I think NASA's site is not always a reliable place.--Bricktop 23:08, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Changes about the landing sphere
Is it for sure Venera 1 not having a landing sphere? Can you give some sources? I would then also correct it on the german Venera article --Bricktop 10:24, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Venera-1 contained, inside the cylindrical body, a spherical pennant, similar to ones carried by Luna-1 and Luna-2. It was not an instrument package, just some medals with the Soviet state seal on them. The hemispherical dome did not contain this pennant, that is a reflective heat shield around the course-correction engine.

Pravda had an extensive article about Venera-1 that describes these features.
 * A belated signature of the above comment. You can see the small spherical landing capsule in photo, behind the parabolic antenna and just to the right of where it connects to the spacecraft body. DonPMitchell (talk) 17:54, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Present location
Is anything known about where Venera 1 could be today? --JorisvS (talk) 12:15, 19 February 2014 (UTC)


 * It is included in List of artificial objects in heliocentric orbit. I don't know if a more precise location can be calculated. It is amazing that there are so many USSR objects still in space. Perhaps, they will be studied by a future "astroarchaeology" discipline. emijrp (talk) 05:52, 10 July 2015 (UTC)