Part 4/11:
Finally, in 1970, a significant breakthrough occurred: Venera 7 successfully landed on Venus, and for 23 minutes, it transmitted data before succumbing to the planet’s oppressive conditions. This marked a pivotal moment in space exploration, as the USSR was the first to establish a tangible presence on another planet. Over the next decade, subsequent missions like Venera 8 and Venera 13 built on these successes, eventually sending back the first images and sounds from the planet’s surface, revealing a barren landscape of volcanic rock shrouded in a toxic atmosphere.