Development of instruments for Vega probes

The development of instruments for the Vega-1 and Vega-2 interplanetary stations is discussed. These instruments were designed for use on landing modules intended for studies of Venus. One of these instruments, the VPD-AV, is intended for controlling all operations for placing aerostatic probes into Venus' atmosphere following their separation from the stations' landing modules. Commands issued by this high-precision, preprogrammed timing device were formulated in accordance with its program and data from pressure and temperature sensors. Two other instruments were installed on the stations' landing modules. Aerosols in Venus' cloud cover were analyzed with the aid of the first of these instrumetns, the ISAV-A. It was equipped for this purpose with a highly sophisticated and precise optical system with its own light source. The second instrument, the ISAV-S, was intended for analyzing the gas composition of Venus' atmosphere by the method of active spectrophotometry. Data was gathered by these instruments during the modules' descent to the surface of Venus. All of this information was electronically processed and transmitted to a Vega station, which relayed it to Earth.