Venera 16

Chronology

Mission timeline

1. June 7, 1983, 02:32 UTC

   Launch

   Launched on a Proton-K booster from Baikonur Cosmodrome

   The launch/orbital information page prints 1983-06-07T02:32:00Z, recorded at minute precision because it prints a whole minute with zero seconds, and the master catalog gives the same time, 02:32 UT. Both pages name the booster in their own text as a Proton-K while printing Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages under Launch Vehicle.

   Earth
2. October 14, 1983, 06:22 UTC

   Orbit insertion

   Entered a near-polar Venus orbit

   The master catalog records that after two course corrections it arrived at Venus and went into a 977.3 x 67,078 km altitude, 24 hour, 34 minute period orbit on 14 October 1983 at 06:22 UT, a full date and time in one sentence. THE TWO PAGES DISAGREE ON THE DATE: the launch/orbital information page's Venus orbiter row starts its epoch at 1983-10-11 00:00:00, three days earlier, and gives a 24.00 hour period at 92.500 degrees inclination - the same row values it prints for Venera 15. Recorded rather than resolved; the record follows the master catalog, which is the page that prints a date and a time together.

   Venus
3. July 10, 1984

   Milestone

   Primary mapping mission completed

   The master catalog records that Venera 15 and 16 completed their primary mapping mission on 10 July 1984 and began an extended science mission.

   Venus
4. June 13, 1985

   Mission end

   Contact lost, ending the mission

   The master catalog records that Venera 15 and 16 completed their primary mapping mission on 10 July 1984 and began an extended science mission, and that on 13 June 1985 Venera 16 received a command that was transmitted to Vega 1, the two probes sharing the same frequency, which caused an unnecessary orientation maneuver that used up its remaining attitude control propellant so that it could no longer be oriented and contact was lost, ending the mission.

   Venus
5. Date unknown

   Milestone

   Two course corrections en route to Venus

   The master catalog records two course corrections, on 15 June and 5 October. Carried without a timestamp because the sentence that prints those days prints no year.

6. Date unknown

   Milestone

   Radar mapping begins

   The master catalog records that radar mapping began on 20 October and that Venera 16 moved into its operational orbit, 944 x 65,336 km, with the periapsis at 62 N, on 22 October. The Venera 15 page attributes a different operational orbit, 873 x 65,000 km on 2 November, to this same spacecraft, and the disagreement is recorded rather than resolved. Carried without a timestamp because neither sentence prints a year. The page also records that in June 1984 Venus was at superior conjunction and passed behind the Sun as seen from Earth, so no transmissions were possible and the orbit of Venera 16 was rotated back 20 degrees to map the areas missed during this period.

   Venus

Mission architecture

Vehicles

• Venera 16 · Orbiter

  Destinations: Venus