Photometric Data from Some Photographs of Mars Obtained with the Automatic Interplanetary Station ‘Mars 3’

The results of detailed photometric treatment of Mars photographs obtained with the Automatic Interplanetary Station ‘Mars 3’ in three wavelengths are given. Photometric maps of the Martian surface have been constructed; a thin layer observed near the limb has been investigated.

Interpretation of the Illumination Measurements by the Automatic Interplanetary Station ‘Venera 8’

Measurements of the downward light flux during the descent from an altitude of 50 km to the ground have been made. Atmospheric layers with different optical thicknesses have been discovered. The optical properties of Venus atmosphere for different cloud models have been studied.

Probable Structure and Nature of the Formations on the Reverse Side of the Moon According to Photometric Measurements of Lunar Photographs

Notwithstanding the fact that a number of defects and distortions, introduced in transmission of the images of the latter to the Earth, mar the negatives of the reverse side of the Moon, indirectly obtained on 7 October 1959 by the automatic interplanetary station (AIS), it was possible to use the photometric measurements of the secondary (terrestrial) positives of the reverse side of the Moon in the experiment of the first comparison of the characteristics of the surfaces of the visible and invisible hemispheres of the Moon.

Schematic Chart of the Far Side of the Moon

The photographs of the far side of the Moon, obtained on 7 October 1959 by the automatic interplanetary station, were studied at the Pulkovo Observatory independently from other observatories. The purpose of this work was to detect authentic objects on the far side of the Moon, to determine their selenographic coordinates, and to draw—on this basis—a schematic chart with an approximate distribution of the brightness of detected features. In contrast with the work conducted at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute [1], the Pulkovo Observatory did not apply the method consisting of an artificial increase of the contrast of features within a specific range of densities (the so-called method of photometric cross-sections). Therefore, we detected only the topographically most distinctive features, which can be examined directly on photographs and compared with others.

A Study of Photographs of the Far Side of the Moon and Description of Singular Features Revealed on its Surface

The third space rocket, launched in the Soviet Union on 4 October 1959, brought to the calculated orbit an automatic interplanetary station which had accomplished, for the first time in history, a flight around the Moon with the subsequent passage near the Earth. During the time of this flight, on 7 October 1959, from 18.30 to 19.10 (Moscow standard time), the photographic camera of the automatic interplanetary station (AIS) took pictures of the far side of our satellite. The camera was equipped with two objectives, having focal lengths of 200 and 500 mm. A number of papers already published [1, 2, 3] contain a detailed description of the AIS trajectory, its perturbations by the Moon, structural components of the station itself, etc.