Silicon Carbide Pressure Sensors for Venus Environment

We report on the evaluation of 4H-SiC piezoresistive pressure sensors in the simulated Venus environment of the NASA Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER). The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the survivability of the pressure and temperature sensors and ancillary packaging components when subjected to the high pressure and aggressive chemical media that are characteristic of the Venus environment. Interest in Venus has been stimulated by the ongoing debate about Earth's planetary evolution, particularly in regards to its climate, and NASA has proposed a flagship mission to Venus to be launched in the near future. Quantifying how the Venus evo-lution ran its course will greatly aid researchers trying to model Earth's climate dynamics.