Have there been people on Venus? Terraforming Venus

Tatiana Zimina. According to information from ESA and IKI RAS.

An image of Venus in the ultraviolet range (wavelength 0.365 microns), taken from a distance of 30,000 km using a camera mounted on the European spacecraft Venus Express. The photo shows dark and light areas associated with unknown

Billions of years ago, Venus was likely to have significant more water, than now. The European Venus Express spacecraft, which has been operating in Venusian orbit since April 2006, has confirmed that the planet has lost large amounts of water in the past.

Venus and Earth are considered similar planets in appearance - they have approximately the same size, gravity values ​​and are very similar in basic chemical composition. This suggests that in the past, Venus, like Earth, had oceans, which means there could have been life. Today, the planet is heated to 460 o C, and water is present only in its atmosphere and in such small quantities that, if it condenses onto the planetary surface, it forms a layer only 3 cm thick.

Why did Venus lose its water? According to astrophysicists, once upon a time, approximately from 500 million to 4 billion years from the birth of the planet, under the influence of ultraviolet rays from the Sun, water molecules disintegrated into atoms - two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, and were carried away, probably by the solar wind, into the interplanetary space. space. After all, Venus, in contrast to Earth, does not have magnetic field, which could protect it from the solar wind - a stream of charged particles that freely bombard the upper layers of the atmosphere of the “blue” planet, carrying away ions from it.

Experiments carried out using the Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA), installed on board the European spacecraft, showed that on the night side of Venus there are indeed huge losses of hydrogen and oxygen, and in the ratio characteristic of water molecules. The rate of “exit” of these atoms was measured. At the same time, as experiments have shown, the upper layers of the planet’s atmosphere contain an increased amount of deuterium, which, being a heavier atom compared to hydrogen, escapes from the planet’s embrace with less ease.

According to Colin Wilson from the University of Oxford (UK), experimental data indicate that Venus had a lot of water in the past. However, this still does not mean that there were oceans on its surface.

Eric Chassefier from the University of Paris-Sud (France) developed a mathematical model according to which water on Venus was mainly present in its atmosphere and existed only in the very early stages of the planet's development, when it was in a molten state. As the broken water molecules escaped into space, the temperature dropped, likely causing the planet's surface to harden. That is, according to this model, there have never been any oceans on Venus. True, even if Chassefière’s model turns out to be correct, this does not exclude the possibility that water could have been delivered to the planet by comets after its surface became solid. This water could become a habitat for living organisms.

The goal of the European mission "Venus Express" is to study the evolution of the atmosphere of Venus and the volatile substances it contains: how they arose and how they interacted with the surface, as well as how the atmosphere interacts with the solar wind. In addition, it was assumed that the experiments would reveal volcanic and seismic activity on the planet.

The equipment of the European spacecraft includes several scientific instruments created with the participation of Russian scientists from the Institute of Space Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the NPO named after. Lavochkina. It is a high-resolution spectrometer and a general-purpose spectrometer (SPICAV-SOIR) designed to study the vertical structure of the atmosphere, temperature profiles, clouds and small atmospheric components. As well as a planetary Fourier spectrometer, designed for optical analysis of the atmosphere and the study of its thermal structure (the device turned out to be inoperative).

Let us note that Venus is the main object of research for Russian planetary scientists; a total of 16 spacecraft of the Venus series and two Vega spacecraft with landing modules and balloon stations were launched to it. Thanks to measurements taken on board Soviet descent and landing space stations In the 1970s and 1980s, a basic model of Venus's atmosphere was built.

Currently being developed Russian project“Venera-D” (the letter “d” means “long-lived”) to further study the chemical composition of the atmosphere, surface and clarify the same question: where did the water disappear from the planet?

The main difference between the landing apparatus of the new Russian space complex is the relatively long (several days) operation of its scientific equipment under conditions of high temperatures and pressure. (The landing vehicles of previous Venusian stations worked on the planet for no more than one and a half hours.) The mission will include an orbital block, a descent module and a flotilla of balloons that will fly at altitudes from 35 to 60 km and from which the surface will be imaged. The launch of the spacecraft is planned for the end of 2016.

Is there life on Venus

We have very little knowledge about our solar system. Why does this happen to us? The fact is thatwe have forgotten how to contact different higher Minds and receive different useful information and due to our "ignorance" we are and live in our " isolated world "(this is what the Higher Powers said upon contact) . Therefore, the peace of our Earth is on this moment- This "isolated world" from all those worlds where people like us live. But only They use all the information banks of the Universe, which contain all the information for billions of years of Its existence, and we do not!!!

We have very little knowledge not only of the Universe, but also of our Solar System. We even have very little knowledge about our Earth. But our Earth exists in 49 dimensions about which we know absolutely nothing! But it is on our Earth that the Hyperboreans live, who are far ahead of us in all respects. And when sometimes we see flying saucers, then in all likelihood, these are the ones flying. And on our Earth there is a very advanced Space Zoo , where representatives of the Higher Powers bring the most advanced animals from all over the Universe. We believe that in our solar system life can exist, in addition to our planet, only on the planet Mars. But the Higher Powers said, then there, Apart from single-celled organisms there is no life at all !

And here Alien Civilizations pay great attention to the planet Venus . The fact is that the atmosphere there is very dense and consists of carbon gas, and the clouds that are in it consist of sulfuric acid. One day there is equal to 117 Earth days. And the pressure is 92 times higher than on Earth. But that's where , where at first glance life is impossible , there is life similar to Earth !

Here in one of the " parallel worlds " Venus is inhabited by humanoid beings who have not only an energy body, but also physical ( human body), and at the same time this civilization is much older than ours. That is except ours planet earth, people in our solar system liveonly on the planet Venus !!! And these people appeared on one of Her " parallel worlds "much earlier than our 5th race appeared on Earth!!!

But the Forces of the Universe carried out an experiment on relocation of people from our planet to one of the parallel worlds of Venus. This experiment was 30% successful. AND main reason such a low figure turned out to be that vegetable world in this world absolutely did not correspond to the Earthly one, to which people from Earth are accustomed and adapted! And there is no humanoid life anywhere else in our solar system !!!

“Snails of time” pass throughout our Universe, and for absolutely all “snails of time” there is a strict hierarchy! Let's take our Earth as an example. She has two" at snails of time." One is for our Earth, and the other “snail”, which is located behind it, connects it with other systems of the Universe. And approximately the same thing happens throughout the Universe. That is, one “snail of time” is necessarily located in another , which connects it with an even larger object. And in our Galaxy, all “time snails” exist this way!

But in our solar system there are also four planets with “time snails” changelings. These are Mars, Venus, Pluto and the Moon.

And due to the fact that on these planets the “snails of time” have the opposite location, people from our planet will not be able to stay there for any long time , because after some time they will get there irreversible" psychological shock" and a number of irreversible changes, which they will never be able to get rid of . And if they stay there long enough, they just " will destroy each other "from the aggression that will flare up in them suddenly and involuntarily! Therefore, there is no Humanoid life either on Mars or on other planets! Except Venus!!! True, those people who were resettled from our Earth to Venus were to some extent redesigned to suit these " time shifter snails " and therefore this impact did not extend to them!!! But for people from Earth By Higher Powers special work was done to adapt such people to life on Venus in one of Her “parallel worlds”!!

In January 2013, a sensation spread around the world. A Soviet probe in the 1970s and 1980s captured what could be called signs of living organisms on Venus. Chief Researcher of the Institute space research RAS Leonid Ksanfomality believes that there is life on Venus.

It would seem that something new can be seen in 2013 on the planet, direct exploration of the surface of which stopped back in the 1980s, when the last spacecraft Venera, Vega and Pioneer-Venera visited it, and with Since then there have been no more such missions.

The results obtained with the help of television cameras have long been studied and included in textbooks, and photographs have traveled around the world. But out of 40 panoramas (or fragments thereof), only the first were studied. And have they really studied it thoroughly? Leonid Ksanfomality gives a clear answer to this question: “no.” Images taken by Venus spacecraft reveal many previously unnoticed strange objects that may indicate that there is life on Venus.

This proposal itself, at first glance, sounds absurd. Conditions on the "morning star" are not only unsuitable for earthly forms life, they are incompatible with earthly life. The atmosphere of Venus consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide, and the clouds are made of small droplets of sulfuric acid.

The temperature on the surface is 460°C, and the pressure is 92 times higher than on our planet. Numerous electrical discharges have been discovered in the unusual atmosphere of Venus. In many places the surface contains traces of solidified lava. The yellowish sky and the disk of the Sun, difficult to distinguish through the constantly hanging high clouds, complete the picture of this hell. The usual Venusian landscape is a hot rocky or loose surface, sometimes mountains and rarely volcanoes.

Why are the conditions on the planet closest to us and similar in its characteristics to ours so different from those on Earth? There was a time, scientists suggest, when Venus and Earth were very similar. Venus belongs to the planets terrestrial group. She is often called "sister of the Earth." It is speculated that Venus may have had oceans similar to ours billions of years ago. But later the evolutionary paths of the planets diverged sharply, and almost all the water (necessary for life on Earth) was lost.

Nevertheless, many scientists, including Leonid Ksanfomality, ask the question: “Is life really built on the same principles on all the planets of the vast Universe?” Relatively recently, it was discovered that the Earth's lithosphere to a depth of tens of kilometers is inhabited by microorganisms, for the metabolism of many of which oxygen is a poison.

And if life on Earth is based on carbon compounds and water, then why on other planets cannot it be based on other biochemical processes? This does not contradict the principles of physics. Liquid water cannot exist on Venus; there it instantly evaporates. But scientists know chemical compounds and even liquids that can exist at Venusian temperatures. And although water is the basis for earthly life, why can’t it be some other medium under other conditions?

Leonid Ksanfomality does not make any categorical statements. While it is impossible to prove that the objects he saw on Venus are really alive, it is impossible to touch them. But the opposite cannot be said either, because there are errors in the numerous ones he published. scientific articles no one finds it, and the critics’ argument so far boils down to the saying: “This cannot be, because it can never happen.”

One part of the scientific community treats Xanfomality's research, findings and hypotheses with skepticism, while the other takes it quite seriously, even if it contradicts the established scientific paradigm.

One thing is certain: further research on Venus is urgently needed. Only sending a new specialized apparatus to Venus will help answer the question of whether there really is life on it. Meanwhile, the Center for the Creation of Spacecraft NPO named after. Lavochkin is currently designing a new spacecraft “Venera-D”, the launch of which is supposedly scheduled for 2018.

A logical question arises: why over the past 30-38 years have specialists and scientists, both in Russia and abroad, who have studied photographs from Venus, not seen the very signs of life that Leonid Ksanfomality examined? Leonid Vasilievich himself explains this by two factors: firstly, they studied only the first few images, which were not noisy.

This was enough for reports of the victory of Soviet science. The rest, sometimes due to their inferior quality, no one even tried to explore. Secondly, over thirty years, enormous experience has been gained in understanding space data, and image processing tools have improved significantly. It has become possible to reduce the noise in unsuccessful Venusian images.

Leonid Ksanfomality was not too lazy to conduct new research and revise the previous ones, because he spotted the first supposed inhabitant of Venus back in the 1970s. But then this was not taken seriously, since there were very few good pictures and clearly not enough to draw any conclusions. But the scientist did not give up on his idea.

For more than thirty years, he periodically returned to processing space television images and, as he gained experience, he discovered more and more signs of possible forms of life on this planet. Now the entire world scientific community is puzzled by this question.

Now let's move on to the main thing. Let's try, following Leonid Ksanfomality, to discern those very signs of life in Venusian photographs. Draw your own conclusions.

This is what Leonid Ksanfomality conventionally called this strange object. The pictures were taken at intervals of 13 minutes each. Until the 93rd minute, the scorpion was not in the pictures; at the 93rd minute it appeared, and after the 117th minute it also mysteriously disappeared. It left a visible groove in the ground.

In the image you can see that the object is somewhat reminiscent of our insects with legs and antennae. Its length is 17 cm. The scientist suggests that the object was covered with a small layer of soil as a result of the device hitting the surface of the planet, from under which it had to get out for an entire hour and a half!

From here Leonid Ksanfomality draws an important conclusion: if there are living beings on Venus, then they are very weak and live in a very slow world. This is probably determined by the physical conditions of Venus and the metabolism of the hypothetical creatures. The hypothesis that this object was blown into the lens field by the wind was tested and rejected. The wind strength was clearly insufficient for this.

In any case, the object really resembles a large insect, whether it crawled into the field of the television camera on its own or was carried by the wind.

"BLACK FLAP"

Leonid Ksanfomality finds no explanation for this phenomenon. In the photo on the left, at the end of the lattice truss, a black object of unclear shape is clearly visible. It is visible only in the first photo and envelops the hammer used to measure the strength of the soil. There is no black “flap” in subsequent photographs... What could it be? An unknown gas released from the destroyed soil that condensed on the hammer?

STRANGE STONE “OWL”

Here we see an object of outlandish shape, which clearly stands out with its outlines against the surrounding background. Strange symmetrically arranged growths covering its surface and an elongated process, similar to a real tail, are clearly visible. A clear shadow is visible under the process. On the opposite side there is a protrusion that looks like a head. The total length of the “strange stone” is half a meter. The object resembles a sitting bird.

HESPERA - OBJECTS IN THE FORM OF A FALLEN LEAF

These potential living inhabitants of Venus were seen in several images taken by different devices at a distance of more than 4000 km. They stand out from the rest of the stone landscape and are similar in shape and characteristics to each other.

Look closely and you will see an oblong object 20-25 cm long, raised above the surface by 1-2 cm. A stripe runs across the object, and if desired, you can see a tail at one end, and something similar to antennae at the other. No signs of object movement were recorded.

"BEAR"

These objects seem to resemble some kind of soft furry creatures, which are unlike the surrounding sharp-edged rocks. The object rests on some limbs, its height is 25 cm. In the picture we see it from above. To the left behind the “bear cub” are footprints. The speed of the object's movement was no more than a millimeter per second. Approximately the same value was obtained for other objects whose movement was noticed.

AMISADS

They resemble an earthly fish; on the “head” you can see something like a corolla. Length is about 12 cm, no movements were observed. These objects got their name from stone tablets on which the ancient inhabitants of the Babylonian kingdom carved the moments of the appearance of Venus in the sky.

"MUSHROOM"

The diameter of the object is 8 cm, and it is raised above the surface by 3 cm. Processing nine consecutive panoramas in which this object is present gives an image of a kind of tent with radial stripes and with a constant dark spot in the center. Leonid Ksanfomality concludes: the object is very similar to an earthly mushroom.

The latest discoveries, information about which has not yet been published. The snake has a dark, spotted, cellular surface with regularly spaced spots, like those of terrestrial reptiles. Leonid Ksanfomality believes that this inhabitant of Venus looks like a coiled snake, the length of which is about 40 cm.

The object does not crawl, but changes its position in a series of sequential images at a speed of approximately 2 mm per second. Not far from the “snake” there is another object measuring 5-6 cm, resembling a sitting small dove.

Since the information on the object is very recent, its photo is currently in the process of being published in scientific journal, so for now Leonid Ksanfomality doesn’t show it to anyone.

Life appears to have been found on Venus. Or something very similar to it, moving, changing shape. Unique footage of Venusian “residents” under the code names “bird”, “disc”, “scorpion” were taken in the 70-80s of the last century by the Soviet devices “Venera-9” and “Venera-13”! And only 30 years later they were declassified by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as if giving themselves such an original gift for their 50th anniversary. MK learned about the strange findings from Leonid Ksanfomality, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics from the IKI RAS, the author of the decoding of footage from Venus.

“We do not like the interpretation of these results as signs of life on the planet. However, we cannot find another explanation for what we see in the panoramas of the surface of Venus,” this is how one of its two authors, Candidate of Sciences Yuri Gektin, formulated the topic of the television experiment on the Venus spacecraft back in 1982. But then, in the 80s, alas, that’s how it all ended with Ksanfomality’s article in the Astronomical Bulletin. The scientific community firmly stood its ground: at +500 Celsius and a pressure of 87–90 atmospheres, life cannot exist. Everything that refuted this dogma was considered unscientific and had no right to exist. And work on deciphering the first films from Venus was sent to the very box.

I wouldn’t say that we have given up,” says Xanfomality. - We turned to old data again and again as processing tools improved. And the most significant discoveries were made two or three years ago.

- Well, finally, tell us about these “objects”.

The earliest discoveries began to come from Venera 9, which landed on the planet of the same name, in 1975. In the very first panorama transmitted by the device, the attention of several groups of experimenters was attracted by a symmetrical object resembling a sitting bird with an outstretched tail. Geologists cautiously called it “a strange rock with a rod-like protrusion and a lumpy surface.” “The Stone” was discussed in the final collection of articles “The First Panoramas of the Surface of Venus” edited by Mstislav Keldysh and in a weighty volume of the international publication “VENUS”. He became interested in me on October 22, 1975 - immediately, as soon as the tape with the panorama crawled out of the bulky phototelegraph apparatus at the Evpatoria Center for Deep Space Communications. The strange “bird” object was symmetrical relative to the longitudinal axis, its entire surface was covered with strange growths, and some kind of symmetry could also be seen in their position. To the left of the object protruded a long straight white process, under which a deep shadow was visible, repeating its shape. The white appendage is very similar to a straight tail. On the opposite side, the object ended in a large white rounded protrusion, similar to a head. The entire object rested on a short thick “paw”. True, in the eight minutes that passed before the camera lens returned to the object (it scanned the entire visible surface of the planet), it did not change its position at all.

- But then there were other objects?

Then the information came from the Venera 13 and Venera 14 missions in 1982. Thus, Venera 13 gave us an image of a strange “disk” changing its shape. The “disc” has a regular shape, apparently round, about 30 cm in diameter and resembles a large shell. In the first two frames (32nd and 72nd minutes), the appearance of the “disk” almost did not change, but at the end of the 72nd minute a short arc appeared in its lower part. On the third frame (86th minute) the arc became several times longer, and the “disk” began to divide into parts. At the 93rd minute, the “disk” disappeared, and in its place a symmetrical light object of approximately the same size appeared, formed by numerous V-shaped folds - “chevrons”. After 26 minutes, on the last frame (119th minute), the “disk” has completely recovered and is clearly visible. Thus, five frames demonstrate a complete cycle of changes in the shape of the “disk”.

But perhaps the most important “object” found in the footage transmitted from Venera 13 was an object code-named “scorpion”. He appeared around the 90th minute along with the half-ring adjacent to him on the right. What first attracted attention to him was, of course, his strange appearance. "Scorpio" is about 17 cm long and has a complex structure reminiscent of terrestrial insects or arachnids. Its shape cannot be the result of a random combination of dark, gray and light points. The “scorpion” image consists of 940 dots; the probability of such a structure being formed due to a random combination of dots is low. In other words, the possibility of a “scorpion” accidentally appearing is excluded. In addition, it casts a clearly visible shadow, and therefore it is a real object and not an artifact. A simple combination of points cannot cast a shadow.

Now about the dynamics of the appearance of the “scorpion”. The impact of the apparatus on the soil during landing caused the destruction of the soil at a depth of approximately 5 cm and threw it in the direction of lateral movement, covering the surface. In the first image (7th minute), a shallow groove approximately 10 cm long is visible in the ejected soil. In the second image (20th minute), the sides of the groove have risen and its length has increased to approximately 15 cm. In the third image (59th minute) a regular “scorpion” structure became visible in the groove. Finally, at the 93rd minute, the “scorpion” completely emerged from the 1–2 cm thick layer of soil that had covered it. At the 119th minute, it disappeared from the frame and is absent from subsequent images.

- The wind couldn't have blown it away?

We considered this option. Wind speed has been measured in many experiments and has been estimated to range from 0.3 to 0.48 m/s. Such speed could hardly move the object. Another likely reason for the disappearance of the "scorpion" could be that it moved.

- What methods did you use when working?

During processing, we used the simplest and “linear” methods - adjusting brightness, contrast, blurring or sharpening. Any other means - retouching, adjusting or using some version of Photoshop - were completely excluded.

Well, our scientists, as always, are modest in their repertoire, a little shy about the glory that is about to fall upon them. Even now, after so many years, they either pretend or really underestimate the results obtained. Judge for yourself: the director of the IKI RAS, Professor Lev Zeleny, accidentally mentioned the moving “objects” discovered by Ksanfomality and other employees of the institute at a press conference on Monday, without attaching much importance to them. In this case, we can only recall the well-known aphorism that new ideas in science usually go through three stages: 1. What stupidity! 2. There is something in this... 3. Well, who doesn’t know this!

By following certain types of searches, we might be able to discover life based on something completely different. chemical composition(no carbon and/or water). BOO. Jones, British astrophysicist

Venus is one of the most mysterious planets in our solar system. Astrophysical research in recent decades has enriched our understanding of nature with many interesting facts. In 1995, the first exoplanet was found - a planet that orbits one of the stars in our Galaxy. Today, more than seven hundred such exoplanets are known (see “Science and Life” No. 12, 2006). Almost all of them orbit in very low orbits, but if the luminosity of the star is low, the temperature on the planet can range from 650-900 K (377-627 ° C). Such conditions are absolutely unacceptable for the only protein form of life known to us. But is it really the only one in the Universe, and is the denial of its other possible types “earthly chauvinism”?

It is unlikely that it will be possible to explore even the closest exoplanets using automatic spacecraft in the current century. It is quite possible, however, that the answer can be found very close by, on our closest neighbor in the solar system - Venus. The temperature of the planet's surface (735 K, or 462 ° C), the enormous pressure (87-90 atm) of its gas shell with a density of 65 kg/m³, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide (96.5%), nitrogen (3.5%) and traces of oxygen (less than 2·10-5%), are close to the physical conditions on many exoplanets of a special class. Recently, television images (panoramas) of the surface of Venus, obtained thirty years ago or more, have been re-examined and processed. They revealed several objects ranging in size from a decimeter to half a meter, which changed shape, position in the frame, appeared in some images and disappeared in others. And in a number of panoramas, precipitation was clearly observed that fell and melted on the surface of the planet.

In January, the journal “Astronomical Bulletin - Research of the Solar System” published the article “Venus as a natural laboratory for the search for life in conditions of high temperatures: about the events on the planet on March 1, 1982.” She did not leave readers indifferent, and opinions were divided - from extreme interest to angry disapproval, coming mainly from overseas. Both the article published then and this article do not claim that a hitherto unknown extraterrestrial life form was found on Venus, but only talk about phenomena that may be its signs. But, as one of the two main authors of the television experiment on the Venus spacecraft, Yu.M., successfully formulated the topic. Hektin, “we do not like the interpretation of the results as signs of life on the planet. However, we cannot find any other explanation for what we see in panoramas of the surface of Venus.”

It is probably appropriate to recall the aphorism that new ideas usually go through three stages: 1. How stupid! 2. There is something in this... 3. Well, who doesn’t know that!

The Venus devices, their video cameras and the first greetings from Venus

The first panoramas of the surface of Venus were transmitted to Earth by the Venera-9 and Venera-10 spacecraft back in 1975. Images were obtained using two optical-mechanical cameras with photomultipliers installed on each device (CCD matrices existed then only in the form of an idea).

Photo 1. The surface of Venus at the landing site of the Venera 9 spacecraft (1975). Physical conditions on Venus: atmosphere CO2 96.5%, N2 3.5%, O2 less than 2·10-5; temperature - 735 K (462°C), pressure 92 MPa (approximately 90 atm). Daylight illumination from 400 lux to 11 klux. The meteorology of Venus is determined by sulfur compounds (SO2, SO3, H2SO4).

The camera pupils were located at a height of 90 cm from the surface, on both sides of the device. The swinging mirror of each camera gradually rotated and created a panorama of 177 ° in width, a strip from horizon to horizon (3.3 km on flat ground), and the upper border of the image was two meters from the device. The resolution of the cameras made it possible to clearly see millimeter-scale surface details close up and objects about 10 meters in size near the horizon. The cameras were located inside the device and filmed the surrounding landscape through a sealed quartz window. The device gradually warmed up, but its designers firmly promised half an hour of operation. A processed fragment of the Venera-9 panorama is presented in photo 1. This is how a person on an expedition to Venus would see the planet.

In 1982, the Venera-13 and Venera-14 devices were equipped with more advanced cameras with light filters. The images were twice as sharp and consisted of 1000 vertical lines of 211 pixels, each 11 arcminutes in size. The video signal, as before, was transmitted to the orbital part of the device, artificial satellite Venus, which relayed data to Earth in real time. During operation, the cameras transmitted 33 panoramas or fragments thereof, which allows us to trace the development of some interesting phenomena on the planet.

It is impossible to convey the scale of the technical difficulties that camera developers had to overcome. Suffice it to say that in the 37 years since then, the experiment has never been repeated. The development team was led by Dr. technical sciences A.S. Selivanov, who managed to assemble a group of talented scientists and engineers. Let us mention here only the current Chief Designer of space instruments of JSC " Space systems» Candidate of Technical Sciences Yu.M. Gektin, his colleagues - candidate of physical and mathematical sciences A.S. Panfilova, M.K. Naraev, V.P. Suitcase. The first images from the surface of the Moon and from the orbit of Mars were also transmitted by the instruments they created.

In the very first panorama (“Venera-9”, 1975), the attention of several groups of experimenters was attracted by a symmetrical object of complex structure, about 40 centimeters in size, resembling a sitting bird with an elongated tail. Geologists cautiously called it “a strange rock with a rod-like protrusion and a lumpy surface.” “The Stone” was discussed in the final collection of articles “First panoramas of the surface of Venus” (editor M.V. Keldysh) and in a weighty volume of the international publication “VENUS”. I became interested in it on October 22, 1975, immediately as soon as the tape with the panorama crawled out of the bulky phototelegraph apparatus at the Evpatoria Center for Deep Space Communications.

Unfortunately, in the future, all my attempts to interest my colleagues at the Space Research Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the administration of the institute in the strange object were in vain. The idea of ​​the impossibility of life existing at high temperatures turned out to be an insurmountable barrier to any discussion. Still, a year before the publication of M. V. Keldysh’s collection, in 1978, the book “Rediscovered Planets” was published, which contained an image of a “strange stone”. The comment on the photo was: “The details of the object are symmetrical about the longitudinal axis. Lack of clarity hides its contours, but... with some imagination you can see a fantastic inhabitant of Venus. On the right side of the photo... you can see an unusually shaped object about 30 cm in size. Its entire surface is covered with strange growths, and in their position you can see some kind of symmetry. To the left of the object protrudes a long straight white process, under which a deep shadow is visible, repeating its shape. The white appendage is very similar to a straight tail. On the opposite side, the object ends in a large white rounded protrusion, similar to a head. The entire object rests on a short thick “paw”. The resolution of the image is not enough to clearly distinguish all the details of the mysterious object... Did Venera 9 really land next to a living inhabitant of the planet? This is very hard to believe. Moreover, in the eight minutes that passed before the camera lens returned to the object, it did not change its position at all. This is strange for a living creature (unless it was damaged by the edge of the apparatus from which it is separated by centimeters). Most likely, we are seeing a stone of an unusual shape, similar to a volcanic bomb... With a tail.”

The sarcasm of the final phrase - “with a tail” - showed that opponents did not convince the author of the physical impossibility of life on Venus. The same publication says: “Let us imagine, however, that in some of the space experiments on the surface of Venus it would still be found Living being... The history of science shows that as soon as a new experimental fact appears, theorists, as a rule, quickly find an explanation for it. One can even predict what this explanation would be. Synthesized highly heat-resistant organic compounds, in which the energy of π-electron bonds is used (one of the types covalent bond, “sharing” the valence electrons of two atoms of the molecule. - approx. ed.). Such polymers can withstand temperatures up to 1000°C or more. Amazingly, some terrestrial bacteria use π-electron bonds in their metabolism, but not to increase heat resistance, but to bind atmospheric nitrogen (which inevitably requires enormous bond energy, reaching 10 eV or more). As you can see, nature created “blanks” for models of Venusian living cells even on Earth.”

The author returned to this topic in the books “Planeten” and “Parade of the Planets”. But in his strictly scientific monograph “Planet Venus” the hypothesis of life on the planet is not mentioned, since the question of the energy sources necessary for life in a non-oxidizing atmosphere remained (and continues to remain) unclear.

New missions. 1982

Photo 2. The Venera-13 apparatus during laboratory tests in 1981. In the center you can see the window of the television camera, covered with a lid.

Let’s leave the “strange stone” for a while. The next successful flights to the planet with the transmission of images from its surface were the Venera 13 and Venera 14 missions in 1982. The team of the Research and Production Association named after. S.A. Lavochkin created amazing devices, which were then called AMS.

With each new mission to Venus, they became more and more advanced, capable of withstanding enormous pressures and temperatures. The Venera-13 apparatus (photo 2), equipped with two television cameras and other instruments, descended in the equatorial zone of the planet.

Thanks to effective thermal protection, the temperature inside the devices rose quite slowly, their systems managed to transmit a lot of scientific data, high-definition panoramic images, including color ones, and low level various interferences. The transmission of each panorama took 13 minutes. The Venera 13 lander operated for a record long time on March 1, 1982. It would have continued to transmit more, but at the 127th minute, it is unclear who and why ordered it to stop receiving data from it. A command was sent from Earth to turn off the receiver on the orbiter, although the lander continued to send signals... Was it a concern for the orbiter so that its batteries would not run out, or something else, but didn’t priority remain with the lander?

Based on all the transmitted information, including that which was recently considered to be corrupted by noise, the duration successful work"Venera-13" on the surface exceeded two hours. The images published in print were created by combining color-separated and black-and-white panoramas (photo 3). At a low level of interference, three images were sufficient for this.

Photo 3. Panorama of the surface of Venus at the landing site of the Venera-13 spacecraft. In the center is the landing buffer of the apparatus with the teeth of a turbulator, ensuring a smooth landing, above is the discarded white semi-cylindrical cover of the television camera window. Its diameter is 20 cm, height 16 cm. The distance between the teeth is 5 cm.

The excess information made it possible to restore the picture where, for a short time, the apparatus switched from surface images to transmitting the results of other scientific measurements. The published panoramas traveled around the world, were reprinted many times, then interest in them began to gradually fade away; even experts have come to the conclusion that the job has already been done...

What we managed to see on the surface of Venus

The new image analysis turned out to be very labor-intensive. People often ask why they waited more than thirty years. No, we didn't wait. Old data was turned to again and again, as processing tools improved and, let's say, observation and understanding of extraterrestrial objects improved. Promising results were obtained already in 2003-2006, and the most significant discoveries were made last year and the year before, and the work has not yet been completed. For the studies, we used sequences of primary images obtained over a fairly long period of operation of the device. On them one could try to detect some differences, understand what caused them (for example, wind), detect objects that differ in appearance from natural surface details, and note phenomena that escaped attention then, more than thirty years ago. During processing, we used the simplest and “linear” methods - adjusting brightness, contrast, blurring or sharpening. Any other means - retouching, adjustments or the use of any version of Photoshop - were completely excluded.

The most interesting are the images transmitted by the Venera 13 spacecraft on March 1, 1982. A new analysis of images of the surface of Venus revealed several objects that had the features noted above. For convenience, they were given conventional names, which, of course, do not reflect their real essence.

Photo 4. The lower part of a large “disk” object, 0.34 m in diameter, is visible on the right at the top border of the image.

A strange “disk” that changes its shape. The “disc” has a regular shape, apparently round, about 30 cm in diameter and resembles a large shell. In the panorama fragment in photo 4, only its lower half is visible, and the upper half is cut off by the frame border.

The position of the “disk” in subsequent images changes slightly due to a slight shift of the scanning camera when the device warms up. In photo 4, an elongated structure resembling a panicle is adjacent to the “disc”. Photo 5 shows sequential images of the “disk” (arrow a) and the surface near it, and in the lower part of the frames the approximate moment of passage of the scanner field across the “disk” is indicated.

In the first two frames (32nd and 72nd minutes), the appearance of the “disc” and “broom” almost did not change, but at the end of the 72nd minute a short arc appeared in its lower part. On the third frame (86th minute) the arc became several times longer, and the “disk” began to divide into parts.

At the 93rd minute (frame 4), the “disk” disappeared, and instead of it, a symmetrical light object of approximately the same size appeared, formed by numerous V-shaped folds - “chevrons”, oriented approximately along the “panicle”. From the bottom of the “chevrons” » Numerous large arcs, similar to the arc in the third frame, separated. They covered the entire surface adjacent to the telephotometer cover (the white half-cylinder on the surface). Unlike the “broom”, a shadow is visible under the “chevrons”, which indicates their volume.

Photo 5. Changes in the position and shape of the “disk” (arrow a) and “chevron” (arrow b) objects. The approximate moment when the scanner passes the image of the “disk” is indicated at the bottom of the frames.

After 26 minutes, on the last frame (119th minute), the “disc” and “panicle” were completely restored and are clearly visible. The "chevrons" and arcs disappeared just as they appeared, possibly moving outside the image border. Thus, five frames of photo 5 demonstrate the full cycle of changes in the shape of the “disk” and the probable connection of the “chevrons” with both it and the arcs.

“Black flap” on the soil mechanical property meter. On the Venera-13 apparatus, among other instruments, there was a device for measuring soil strength in the form of a folding truss 60 cm long. After the apparatus landed, the latch holding the truss was released, and under the action of a spring the truss was lowered to the ground. Measuring cone (stamp) at its end, kinetic energy which was known, went deeper into the soil. The mechanical strength of the soil was assessed by the depth of its immersion.

Photo 6. An unknown “black flap” object appeared in the first 13 minutes after landing, wrapped around a conical measuring hammer, which was partially buried in the ground. The details of the mechanism are visible through the black object. Subsequent images (taken between 27 and 50 minutes after landing) show a clean hammer surface with no black flap.

One of the mission's objectives was to measure small components of the atmosphere and soil. Therefore, any separation from the apparatus of any particles, films, products of destruction or burning during descent into the atmosphere and landing was absolutely excluded; During ground tests, special attention was paid to these requirements. However, in the first image, obtained in the interval 0-13 minutes after landing, it is clearly visible that around the measuring cone, along its entire height, an unknown thin object stretched upward was wrapped - a “black flap” measuring about six centimeters in height (photo 6) . In subsequent panoramas taken after 27 and 36 minutes, this “black patch” is missing. It cannot be a defect in the image: clearer images show that some parts of the truss are projected onto the “flap”, while others are partially visible through it. A second object of this type was discovered on the other side of the device, under the dropped camera cover. It seems that their appearance is somehow related to the destruction of the soil by the measuring cone or landing apparatus. This assumption is indirectly confirmed by the observation of another similar object that appeared in the field of view of the cameras later.

The star of the screen is Scorpio. This one is the most interesting object appeared approximately at the 90th minute along with a semi-ring adjacent to it on the right (photo 7). What first attracted attention to him was, of course, his strange appearance. The assumption immediately arose that this was some kind of part that had separated from the apparatus that had begun to collapse. But then the device would quickly fail due to catastrophic overheating of its devices in the sealed compartment, into which the hot atmosphere would immediately penetrate under the influence of gigantic pressure. However, Venera 13 continued to operate normally for another hour, and, therefore, the object did not belong to it. According to the technical documentation, all external operations - dropping sensor covers and television cameras, drilling the soil, working with the measuring cone - ended half an hour after landing. Nothing else was separated from the device. In subsequent photographs the “scorpion” is missing.

Photo 7. The “scorpion” object appeared in the image approximately 90 minutes after the spacecraft landed. It is missing from subsequent images.

In photo 7, the brightness and contrast have been adjusted, the clarity and sharpness of the original image have been increased. "Scorpio" measures about 17 centimeters in length and has a complex structure reminiscent of terrestrial insects or arachnids. Its shape cannot be the result of a random combination of dark, gray and light points. The image of the “scorpion” consists of 940 points, and in the panorama there are 2.08·105. The probability of the formation of such a structure due to a random combination of points is vanishingly small: less than 10-100. In other words, the possibility of a “scorpion” accidentally appearing is excluded. In addition, it casts a clearly visible shadow, and therefore it is a real object and not an artifact. A simple combination of points cannot cast a shadow.

The late appearance of the “scorpion” in the frame can be explained, for example, by the processes that took place during the landing of the device. The vertical speed of the device was 7.6 m/s, and the lateral speed was approximately equal to the wind speed (0.3-0.5 m/s). The impact on the ground occurred with the reverse acceleration of 50 g of Venus. The device destroyed the soil to a depth of approximately 5 cm and threw it in the direction of lateral movement, covering the surface. To confirm this assumption, the place where the “scorpion” appeared was studied in all panoramas (photo 8) and interesting details were seen.

Photo 8. Sequential images of a section of soil thrown out during landing in the direction of the lateral movement of the vehicle. The approximate minutes of scanning the corresponding area are indicated.

In the first image (7th minute), a shallow groove about 10 cm long is visible on the ejected soil. In the second image (20th minute), the sides of the groove have risen, and its length has increased to approximately 15 cm. In the third (59th minute) a regular “scorpion” structure became visible in the groove. Finally, at the 93rd minute, the “scorpion” completely emerged from the 1–2 cm thick layer of soil that had covered it. At the 119th minute, it disappeared from the frame and is absent from subsequent images (photo 9).

Photo 9. “Scorpio” (1) appeared in the panorama taken from the 87th to the 100th minute. It is absent from the images obtained before the 87th and after the 113th minute. Low-contrast object 2, together with a patchy light environment, is also present only in the panorama of the 87-100th minute. On frames 87-100 and 113-126 minutes on the left, in a group of stones, a new object K with a changing shape appeared. He is not in the frames of the 53-66th and 79-87th minutes. The central part of the image shows the result of image processing and the dimensions of the “scorpion”.

As possible reason the movement of the “scorpion” was primarily considered by the wind. Since the density of the Venusian atmosphere at the surface is ρ = 65 kg/m³, the dynamic impact of the wind is 8 times higher than on Earth. Wind speed v was measured in many experiments: by the Doppler frequency shift of the transmitted signal; based on the movement of dust and acoustic noise in the microphone on board - and were estimated to range from 0.3 to 0.48 m/s. Even at its maximum value, the wind speed ρv² on the lateral surface area of ​​the “scorpion” creates a pressure of about 0.08 N, which could hardly move the object.

Another likely reason for the disappearance of the "scorpion" could be that it moved. As it moved away from the camera, the resolution of the images deteriorated, and at three to four meters it would have become indistinguishable from stones. At a minimum, it must have moved this distance in 26 minutes - the time the scanner next returned to the same lines in the panorama.

Due to the tilt of the camera axis, image distortions occur (photo 3). But near the camera they are small and do not require correction. Another possible cause of distortion is the movement of the object during scanning. It took 780 s to shoot the entire panorama, and 32 s to capture the image section with the “scorpion”. When an object moves, for example, an apparent lengthening or contraction of its size could occur, but, as will be shown, the fauna of Venus must be very slow.

Analysis of the behavior of objects discovered in panoramas of Venus suggests that at least some of them have signs of living beings. Taking this hypothesis into account, we can try to explain why in the first hour of operation of the descent vehicle, no strange objects were observed except for the “black patch”, and the “scorpion” appeared only an hour and a half after the landing of the vehicle.

A strong impact during landing caused the destruction of the soil and its release towards the lateral movement of the apparatus. After landing, the device made a lot of noise for about half an hour. The squibs shot off the covers of television cameras and scientific instruments, the drilling rig was working, and the rod with the measuring hammer was released. The “inhabitants” of the planet, if they were there, left the dangerous area. But they did not have time to leave the side of the soil ejection and were covered with it. The fact that the “scorpion” took about an hour and a half to get out from under a centimeter-long rubble indicates its low height. physical capabilities. A huge success of the experiment was the coincidence of the time of scanning the panorama with the appearance of the “scorpion” and its proximity to the television camera, which made it possible to discern both the details of the development of the events described and its appearance, although the image clarity leaves much to be desired. The scanning cameras of the Venera-13 and Venera-14 devices were intended to take panoramas of the surrounding areas of their landing and receiving sites. general ideas about the surface of the planet. But the experimenters were lucky - they managed to learn much more.

The Venera-14 apparatus also landed in the equatorial zone of the planet, at a distance of about 700 km from Venera-13. At first, the analysis of the panoramas taken by Venera-14 did not reveal any special objects. But a more detailed search yielded interesting results that are now being studied. And we will remember the first panoramas of Venus, obtained in 1975.

Missions "Venera-9" and "Venera-10"

The results of the 1982 missions do not exhaust all available observational data. Almost seven years earlier, the less advanced spacecraft Venera-9 and Venera-10 landed on the surface of Venus (October 22 and 25, 1975). Then, on December 21 and 25, 1978, the landing of Venera 11 and Venera 12 took place. All devices also had optical-mechanical scanning cameras, one on each side of the device. Unfortunately, on the Venera-9 and Venera-10 devices only one chamber opened; the covers of the second ones did not separate, although the cameras worked normally, and on the Venera-11 and Venera-12 devices the covers of all of them did not separate. scanning cameras.

Compared to the cameras of “Venera-13” and “Venera-14”, the resolution in the panoramas of “Venera-9” and “Venera-10” was almost half as low, the angular resolution (unit pixel) was 21 arcminutes, the line scan duration was 3 .5 seconds. The shape of the spectral characteristic roughly corresponded to human vision. The Venera 9 panorama covered 174° in 29.3 minutes of filming with simultaneous transmission. "Venera-9" and "Venera-10" worked for 50 minutes and 44.5 minutes, respectively. The real-time image was relayed to Earth through a highly directional antenna orbiter. The noise level in the received images was low, but due to the limited resolution the quality of the original panoramas, even after complex processing, left much to be desired.

Photo 10. Panorama transmitted on October 22, 1975 by the Venera-9 apparatus from the surface of the planet.

Photo. 11. Corner left part of the panorama in photo 10, where the slope of a distant hill is visible.

Photo 12. The image of the “strange stone” object (in the oval) becomes more elongated when the geometry of the Venera-9 panorama is corrected. The central field, delimited by slanted lines, corresponds to the right side of photo 10.

At the same time, the images (especially the detailed panorama of Venus 9) were subject to additional, very labor-intensive processing modern means, after which they became much clearer (the lower part of photo 10 and photo 11) and are quite comparable with the panoramas of “Venera-13” and “Venera-14”. As already noted, retouching and additions to images were completely excluded.

The Venera-9 apparatus descended onto the hillside and stood at an angle of almost 10° to the horizon. On the additionally processed left side of the panorama, the distant slope of the next hill is clearly visible (photo 11). Venera 10 landed on a flat surface at a distance of 1600 km from Venera 9.

Analysis of the Venera 9 panorama revealed many interesting details. First, let's return to the image of the “strange stone”. It was so “strange” that this part of the image was even featured on the cover of the publication “The First Panoramas of the Surface of Venus.”

Object "owl"

In 2003-2006, the image quality of the “strange stone” was significantly improved. As objects in panoramas were studied, image processing also improved. Similar to the conventional names proposed above, the “strange stone” received the name “owl” for its shape. Photo 12 shows an improved result based on the corrected image geometry. The detail of the object increased, but still remained insufficient for certain conclusions. The image is based on the far right side of Photo 10. The appearance of a uniformly light sky can be deceiving, as there are subtle spots visible in the original image. If we assume that here, as in photo 11, the slope of another hill is visible, then it is poorly distinguishable and should be much further away. The resolution of details in the original image had to be significantly improved.

Photo 13. The complex symmetrical shape and other features of the “strange stone” object (arrow) make it stand out against the background of the rocky surface of the planet at the landing point of Venera 9. The object measures about half a meter. The inset shows the object with the corrected geometry.

The processed fragment of photo 10 is shown in photo 13, where the “owl” is marked with an arrow and surrounded by a white oval. It has a regular shape, strong longitudinal symmetry, and is difficult to interpret as a “strange stone” or a “volcanic bomb with a tail.” The position of the parts of the “lumpy surface” reveals a certain radiality coming from the right side, from the “head”. The “head” itself has a lighter shade and a complex symmetrical structure with large figured, also symmetrical dark spots and, possibly, some kind of protrusion on top. In general, the structure of the massive “head” is difficult to understand. It is possible that some small stones that coincidentally coincide in shades with the “head” appear to be part of it. Correcting the geometry slightly lengthens the object, making it slimmer (photo 13, inset). The straight light “tail” is about 16 cm long, and the entire object together with the “tail” reaches half a meter with a height of at least 25 cm. The shadow under its body, which is slightly raised above the surface, completely follows the contours of all its parts. Thus, the size of the “owl” is quite large, which made it possible to obtain a fairly detailed image even with the limited resolution that the camera had, and, of course, due to the close location of the object. The question is appropriate: if in photo 13 we see not an inhabitant of Venus, then what is it? The apparent complex and highly ordered morphology of the object makes it difficult to find other suggestions.

If in the case of the “scorpion” (“Venera-13”) there was some noise in the panorama, which was eliminated using well-known techniques, then in the panorama of “Venera-9” (photo 10) there is practically no noise and does not affect the image.

Let's return to the original panorama, the details of which are visible quite clearly. The image with corrected geometry and the highest resolution is shown in photo 14. There is another element here that requires the reader's attention.

Damaged "owl"

Photo 14. Most a high resolution was obtained by processing the Venera-9 panorama with corrected geometry.

During the first discussions of the results of Venera-13, one of the main questions was: how on Venus could nature manage without water, which is absolutely necessary for the earth’s biosphere? The critical temperature for water (when its vapor and liquid are in equilibrium and have indistinguishable physical properties) on Earth 374°C, and in the conditions of Venus - about 320°C. The temperature at the surface of the planet is about 460°C, so the metabolism of organisms on Venus (if they exist) must be built somehow differently, without water. The question of alternative liquids for life in the conditions of Venus has already been considered in a number of scientific works, and chemists are familiar with such media. Perhaps such a liquid is present in photo 14.

Photo 15. Fragment of the panorama - photographic plan. A dark trail stretches from the landing buffer, which, apparently, was left behind by an organism wounded by the device. The trail is formed by some kind of liquid substance of unknown nature (there cannot be liquid water on Venus). The object (about 20 cm in size) managed to crawl 35 cm in no more than six minutes. A photographic plan is convenient because it allows you to compare and measure the actual sizes of objects.

From the place on the torus of the Venera-9 landing buffer, marked with an asterisk in photo 14, a dark trail stretches along the surface of the stone to the left. Then it leaves the stone, expands and ends at a light object, similar to the “owl” discussed above, but half the size, about 20 cm. There are no other similar traces in the image. You can guess the origin of the trail, which begins directly at the landing buffer of the device: the object was partially crushed by the buffer and, crawling away, left a dark trail liquid substance, released from its damaged tissues (photo 15). For terrestrial animals such a trail would be called bloody. (Thus, the first victim of “terrestrial aggression” on Venus dates back to October 22, 1975.) Before the sixth minute of scanning, when the object appeared in the image, it managed to crawl about 35 cm. Knowing the time and distance, it can be established that its speed was not less than 6 cm/min. In photo 15, between the large stones where the damaged object is located, you can discern its shape and other features.

A dark trail indicates that such objects, even damaged ones, are capable of moving at a speed of at least 6 cm/min in case of serious danger. If the “scorpion”, which has already been mentioned, between the 93rd and 119th minutes actually moved to a distance of at least one meter, beyond the camera’s visibility, then its speed was at least 4 cm/min. At the same time, comparing photo 14 with other fragments of images transmitted by Venera-9 in seven minutes, it is clear that the “owl” in photo 13 has not moved. Some objects found in other panoramas (which are not considered here) also remained motionless. It is most likely that such “slowness” is caused by their limited energy reserves (“a scorpion,” for example, spent an hour and a half on a simple operation to save itself) and the slow movements of the Venusian fauna are normal for it. Note that the energy availability of the earth's fauna is very high, which is facilitated by the abundance of flora for nutrition and the oxidizing atmosphere.

In this regard, we should return to the object “owl” in photo 13. The ordered structure of its “lumpy surface” resembles small folded wings, and the “owl” rests on a “paw” similar to a bird’s. The density of the atmosphere of Venus at surface level is 65 kg m³. Any rapid movement in such a dense environment is difficult, but flight would require very small wings, slightly larger than fish fins, and insignificant energy expenditure. However, there is not enough evidence to claim that the object is a bird, and whether the inhabitants of Venus fly is still unknown. But they seem to be attracted to certain meteorological phenomena.

"Snowfall" on Venus

Until now, nothing was known about precipitation on the surface of the planet, except for the assumption of the possible formation and precipitation of aerosols from pyrite, lead sulfide or other compounds high in the Maxwell Mountains. In the latest panoramas of Venera 13, there are many white dots covering a significant part of them. The points were considered noise, loss of information. For example, when the negative signal from one point in the image is lost, a white dot appears in its place. Each such point is a pixel, either lost due to a malfunction of overheated equipment, or lost during a brief loss of radio communication between the descent vehicle and the orbital relay. When processing a panorama in 2011, white dots were replaced with average values ​​of adjacent pixels. The image became clearer, but many small white specks remained. They consisted of several pixels and were, rather, not interference, but something real. Even in raw photographs it is clear that for some reason the dots are almost absent on the black body of the device caught in the frame, and the image itself and the moment the interference appears are in no way connected. Unfortunately, everything turned out to be more complicated. In the grouped images below, noise is also found on a close dark background. Moreover, they are rare, but still found on telemetry inserts, when the broadcast of the panorama was periodically replaced for eight seconds by the transfer of data from other scientific instruments. Therefore, panoramas show both precipitation and interference of electromagnetic origin. The latter is confirmed by the fact that the use of a light “blur” operation dramatically improves the image, eliminating precisely point interference. But the origin of the electrical interference remains unknown.

Photo 16. Chronological sequence of images with meteorological phenomena. The time indicated on the panoramas is counted from the start of scanning the top image. First, the entire initially clean surface was covered with white spots, then, over the next half hour, the area of ​​precipitation decreased by at least half, and the soil under the “melted” mass acquired a dark shade, like earthly soil moistened with melted snow.

Comparing these facts, we can conclude that the noise was partly mistaken for meteorological phenomena - precipitation reminiscent of terrestrial snow, and its phase transitions (melting and evaporation) on the surface of the planet and on the apparatus itself. Photo 16 shows four such successive panoramas. Precipitation apparently occurred in short, intense gusts, after which the area of ​​precipitation decreased by at least half over the next half hour, and the soil under the “melted” mass darkened, like moistened earthly soil. Since the surface temperature at the landing point is set (733 K), and thermodynamic properties atmospheres are known, the main conclusion of the observation is that there are very strict restrictions on the nature of the falling solid or liquid substance. Of course, the composition of “snow” at a temperature of 460°C is a big mystery. However, there are probably very few substances that have a critical pT point (when they exist simultaneously in three phases) in a narrow temperature range near 460°C and at a pressure of 9 MPa, and among them are aniline and naphthalene. The described meteorological phenomena occurred after the 60th or 70th minute. At the same time, the “scorpion” appeared and some other interesting phenomena arose that have yet to be described. The conclusion involuntarily suggests itself that Venusian life waits for precipitation, like rain in the desert, or, conversely, avoids it.

The possibility of life in conditions similar to moderately high temperatures (733 K) and the carbon dioxide atmosphere of Venus has been considered more than once in scientific literature. The authors came to the conclusion that its presence on Venus, for example in microbiological forms, is not excluded. Life was also considered that could evolve under slowly changing conditions from the early stages of the planet's history (with conditions closer to Earth) to modern ones. The temperature range near the surface of the planet (725-755 K depending on the topography), of course, is absolutely unacceptable for terrestrial life forms, but if you think about it, thermodynamically it is no worse than terrestrial conditions. Yes, the media and active chemical agents are unknown to us, but no one was looking for them. Chemical reactions very active at high temperatures; the source materials on Venus are not much different from those on Earth. There are any number of anaerobic organisms known. Photosynthesis in a number of protozoa is based on a reaction where the electron donor is hydrogen sulfide H2S, rather than water. In many species of autotrophic prokaryotes living underground, chemosynthesis is used instead of photosynthesis, for example 4H2 + CO2 → CH4 + H2O. There are no physical prohibitions on life at high temperatures, except, of course, “earthly chauvinism.” Of course, photosynthesis at high temperatures and in a non-oxidizing environment must apparently rely on completely different, unknown biophysical mechanisms.

But what energy sources could life in principle use in the Venusian atmosphere, where sulfur compounds, rather than water, play the main role in meteorology? The discovered objects are quite large; they are not microorganisms. It is most natural to assume that they, like those on Earth, exist due to vegetation. Although the direct rays of the Sun, due to the thick cloud layer, as a rule, do not reach the surface of the planet, there is enough light there for photosynthesis. On Earth, diffuse illumination of 0.5-7 kilolux is quite sufficient for photosynthesis even in the depths of dense tropical forests, and on Venus it lies in the range of 0.4-9 kilolux. But if this article gives some idea about the possible fauna of Venus, then it is impossible to judge the flora of the planet based on the available data. It seems that some of its signs can be detected in other panoramas.

Regardless of the specific biophysical mechanism operating on the surface of Venus, at temperatures of incident T1 and outgoing T2 radiation, the thermodynamic efficiency of the process (efficiency ν = (T1 - T2)/T1) should be somewhat lower than on Earth, since T2 = 290 K for Earth and T2 = 735 K for Venus. In addition, due to the strong absorption of the blue-violet part of the spectrum in the atmosphere, the maximum of solar radiation on Venus is shifted to the green-orange region and, according to Wien’s law, corresponds to a lower effective temperature T1 = 4900 K (at Earth T1 = 5770 K). In this regard, Mars has the most favorable conditions for life.

Conclusion about the mysteries of Venus

Due to interest in the possible habitability of a certain class of exoplanets with moderate high temperature surface, the results of television studies of the surface of Venus, carried out in the missions “Venera-9” in 1975 and “Venera-13” in 1982, were carefully re-examined. The planet Venus was considered as a natural high-temperature laboratory. Along with previously published images, panoramas that were not previously included in the main processing were studied. They show objects of appreciable size appearing, changing or disappearing, from a decimeter to half a meter, the random appearance of images of which cannot be explained. Possible evidence was discovered that some of the objects found, which had a complex regular structure, were partially covered with soil thrown out during the landing of the device, and were slowly released from it.

An interesting question is: what energy sources could life use in the high-temperature, non-oxidizing atmosphere of the planet? It is assumed that, like Earth, the source of existence of the hypothetical fauna of Venus should be its hypothetical flora, which carries out a special type of photosynthesis, and some of its samples can be found in other panoramas.

The television cameras of the Venus devices were not intended to photograph possible inhabitants of Venus. A special mission to search for life on Venus should be significantly more complex.