Cherenkov detector on a venus orbiter (Venera 9)

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SUMMARY

The Venera 9 orbiter, part of the Soviet Union's Venus missions, was equipped with a Cherenkov detector specifically designed to detect and count high-energy particles, including protons with energies greater than 500 MeV and electrons exceeding 7 MeV. This detector's primary function was not to measure Venus's atmospheric conditions but to explore new physics, potentially for military applications. The Venera landers operated successfully for about an hour before losing communication due to the orbiter's radio range limitations, which may have been influenced by the differing angular speeds of Venus and the orbiter.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of particle physics, specifically Cherenkov radiation
  • Familiarity with the Venera space missions and their objectives
  • Knowledge of radio communication principles in space exploration
  • Basic concepts of planetary rotation and angular velocity
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of Cherenkov radiation and its applications in particle detection
  • Study the Venera 10 mission and its scientific contributions to planetary science
  • Explore the implications of high-energy particle detection for military and civilian applications
  • Investigate the challenges of maintaining communication with spacecraft in varying planetary environments
USEFUL FOR

Space scientists, astrophysicists, historians of science, and anyone interested in the technological advancements of the Soviet space program and its implications for modern physics.

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questions about the Soviet's Venus missions

I was reading about the Soviet Union's Venus missions and they equipped Venera 9 orbiter with cherenkov detector.
So it detects particles traveling faster than the speed of light in a given medium
What was this Cherenkov detector used for? It doesn't help them measure specifics of Venus as far as i can tell (temperature, atmospheric composition, pressure etc)

Also, for Venera 9 and 10, it says the landers were functioning fine. Yet they only were able to take data and have experiments on the surface of Venus for about an hour because the orbiter went out of radio range.
Did the orbiter go out of range because of the difference between Venus' rotatational angular speed and the orbiter's angular speed?
 
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Frankly, I think these missions were driven by a desire to discover new physics with potential military applications. It all makes sense in that context.
 
Venera 9’s Cherenkov detector was used to detect and count protons of Ep>500 MeV and electrons of Ee>7 MeV arriving from all directions.

http://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/ spacecraft _data/russian_msu/venera-10/va_descr.txt
 
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