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Robotic Exploration of the Surface and Atmosphere of VenusVenus, the "greenhouse planet", is a scientifically fascinating place. In many ways it can be considered "Earth's evil twin." A huge number of important scientific questions remain to be answered: 1) Before the runaway greenhouse effect, was early Venus temperate? 2) Did Venus once have an ocean? 3) What causes the geological resurfacing of the planet? 4) Is Venus still geologically active? 5) What is the "snow" on Venus mountaintops? 6) Can we learn about Earth's climate from Venus? 7) Is the atmosphere of Venus suitable for life? To address these and other scientific questions, a robotic mission to study the surface and atmosphere of Venus has been designed. The mission includes both surface robots, designed with an operational lifetime of 90 days on the surface of Venus, and also solar-powered airplanes to probe the middle atmosphere. At 450 Celsius, and with 90 atmospheres of pressure of carbon-dioxide atmosphere, the surface of Venus is a hostile place for operation of a probe. This paper will present the mission design, discuss the technology options for materials, power systems, electronics, and instruments, and present a short summary of the mission.
Document ID
20050203799
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Landis, Geoffrey A.
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: 55th International Astronautical Congress
Location: Vancouver
Country: Canada
Start Date: October 4, 2004
End Date: October 8, 2004
Funding Number(s)
OTHER: ECIS-3578
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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