Did not stop the Soviets from making their first Venera landers with the ability to float
in an ocean of liquid and be designed to handle atmospheric pressures far less than
the reality - about 90 times that of Earth's at its surface.

They thought the high temperatures were coming from Venus' ionosphere and not
its surface. I also think som,e wishful thinking and a refusal to accept the data
because it came from an American space probe that beat their efforts was involved
in the design making.

Of course once the truth about Venus was accepted, the Soviets were the ones
who went all out exploring the planet until 1985. I hope we will considering going back
with landers and ballloons that can last much longer than the old ones. We've got a
fascinating planet almost the size of Earth next door just waiting to be really explored.