The two balloon aerobots for the Vega mission were designed to float at 54 km (34 mi) from the surface, in the most active layer of the Venusian cloud system. The instrument pack had enough battery power for 60 hours of operation and measured temperature, pressure, wind speed, and aerosol density. The balloon envelopes were surfaced with polytetrafluoroethylene to resist attack by the corrosive atmosphere. Both Vega-1 and Vega-2 balloons operated for more than 46 hours from injection to the final transmission

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Country of Origin

USSR

Type

SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed-Instruments & Payloads

Manufacturer

Lavochkin Scientific Production Association

Dimensions

3-D (L x W x H): 149.9 × 50.8cm, 18.6kg (4 ft. 11 in. × 1 ft. 8 in., 41lb.)

Materials

Steel, aluminum, plastic, nylon ribbon, fiberglass, paracord

Inventory Number

A19960108007

Credit Line

Gift of H. Buckner Hightower and Gregory W. Schnurr.

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

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