Well, that’s just the symbol for Mars. Nice coincidence, but simply shows that they weren’t tough enough to send a lander to Venus. ;)
Yeah, but these days somebody would doubtless object that it was sexist... *sigh*
> ... but simply shows that they weren’t tough enough to send a lander to Venus. ;)
Actually we did get a lander (of sorts, actually four hard-landing probes) on Venus, in 1978 (the Pioneer Venus 2 series):
But the Russians were much more active about Venus -- they sent dozens of missions, most unsuccessful. But they put a soft-lander on Venus in 1972!:Pioneer Venus 2 (Pioneer Venus Multiprobe)
Four successful Venus probes (NASA)
Launch: August 8, 1978
Venus arrival: December 9, 1978Pioneer Venus 2 consisted of four separate atmospheric probes; one large probe 1.5 meters in diameter, which deployed a parachute to slow its descent, and three small probes (0.8 meters or 2.6 feet across) which plunged straight through the atmosphere. The large probe was released from the spacecraft bus on November 16, 1978. The three smaller probes were released four days later. All of the probes arrived at Venus on December 9, 1978. Each probe took atmospheric measurements as they descended through the cloud layer. One of the probes survived to transmit data for over an hour after it impacted with the surface. The spacecraft bus that carried the probes also had instruments and made measurements in Venus’ uppermost atmosphere before burning up.
Venera 8I don't know if the US ever got a successful lander on Venus. Seems to me we did, but I can't find it...Successful Venus lander (USSR)
Launch: March 27, 1972
Venus landing: July 22, 1972Upon Venus arrival Venera 8 used aerobraking to decelerate, and then deployed a parachute. A refrigeration unit cooled the spacecraft's components, protecting them from the intense heat as the lander descended to the surface. Once on the ground, the spacecraft transmitted data for 50 minutes, confirming a very high surface temperature and crushing atmospheric pressure. It also measured the light level on Venus’ surface and found it suitable for surface photography, setting the stage for the images to be returned by Venera 9, 10, 13, and 14.