science

Venera 4V-2

Venera 4V-2 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Venera 4V-2 rather than just read about it. In short: Venera 4V-2 (Russian: Венера 4В-2) was a series of two identical spacecraft sent to Venus by the Soviet Union, consisting of Venera 15 and Venera 16. Both uncrewed orbiters were to map the surface of Venus using high resolution imaging systems.

Key takeaways

Venera 4V-2 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Venera 4V-2 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Venera 4V-2 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Venera 4V-2 (Russian: Венера 4В-2) was a series of two identical spacecraft sent to Venus by the Soviet Union, consisting of Venera 15 and Venera 16. Both uncrewed orbiters were to map the surface of Venus using high resolution imaging systems. The spacecraft were identical and based on modifications to the earlier Venera space probes.

Mission profile Venera 15 was launched on June 2, 1983, at 02:38:39 UTC, and Venera 16 on June 7, 1983, at 02:32:00 UTC. Venera 15 and Venera 16 both reached Venus' orbit (on October 10, 1983, and October 14, 1983, respectively). The two spacecraft were inserted into Venus orbit a day apart with their orbital planes shifted by an angle of approximately 4° relative to one another. This made it possible to reimage an area if necessary. Each spacecraft was in a nearly polar orbit with a periapsis ~1000 km, at 62°N latitude, and apoapsis ~65000 km, with an inclination ~90°, the orbital period being ~24 hours. In June 1984, Venus was at superior conjunction and passed behind the Sun as seen from Earth. No transmissions were possible, so the orbit of Venera 16 was rotated back 20° at this time to map the areas missed during this period. Together, the two spacecraft imaged the area from the north pole down to about 30°N latitude (i.e. approx. 25% of Venus surface) over the 8 months of mapping operations.

Spacecraft structure The Venera 15 and 16 spacecraft were identical and were based on modifications to the orbiter portions of the Venera 9 and Venera 14 probes. Each spacecraft consisted of a 5 m-long (16 ft) cylinder with a 0.6 m-diameter (2.0 ft), 1.4 m-tall (4.6 ft) parabolic dish antenna for the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at one end. A 1-meter-diameter (3.3 ft) parabolic dish antenna for the radio altimeter was also located at this end. The electrical axis of the radio altimeter antenna was lined up with the axis of the cylinder. The electrical axis of the SAR deviated from the spacecraft axis by 10 degrees. During imaging, the radio altimeter would be lined up with the center of the planet (local vertical) and the SAR would be looking off to the side at 10 degrees. A bulge at the opposite end of the cylinder held fuel tanks and propulsion units. Two square solar arrays extended like wings from the sides of the cylinder. A 2.6 m radio dish antenna for communications was also attached to the side of the cylinder. The spacecraft each massed 4,000 kg (4.4 short tons). Both Venera 15 and 16 were equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). A radar was necessary in this mission because nothing else would be able to penetrate the dense clouds of Venus. The probes were equipped with onboard computers that saved the images until the entire image was complete.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Venera 4V-2

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Venera 4V-2 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Venera 4V-2 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Venera 4V-2 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Venera 4V-2

In research: Venera 4V-2 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Venera 4V-2 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Venera 4V-2 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 4MV, 4V-2, Space synthetic aperture radar, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Venera 4V-2 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Venera 4V-2 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Venera 4V-2 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Venera 4V-2 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Venera 4V-2 in simple terms?

Why does Venera 4V-2 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Venera 4V-2?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Venera 4V-2.