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FutureFuture ExplorationExploration ofof :Venus: SomeSome NASANASA PerspectivesPerspectives

Adriana Ocampo & Steve Saunders National Aeronautics and Space Administration Adriana.C.Ocampo@.gov James Cutts & Tibor Balint Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Caltech [email protected] & [email protected]

Presented at the Chapman Conference Exploring Venus as a Terrestrial

Key Largo, Florida, USA 13-16 February 2006 1 Overview

• Brief Summary of Past/Present Venus In-situ Missions • Recent Exploration Strategic Plans • Next steps

2 Past Missions: Russian Venus Missions (1965-1981)

Year Type / Method Comment Method EDL Venus 3 1965 Venus Lander Impacted Venus, Contact Lost Parachute FAILED 1967 Venus Probe Failed at altitude 24.96 km Parachute FAILED Venera 5 1969 Venus Probe During parachute descent data was Parachute FAILED transmitted from the atmosphere for 53 minutes before failure 1969 Venus Probe During parachute descent data was Parachute FAILED transmitted from the atmosphere for 51 minutes before failure Venera 7 1970 Venus Lander 35 minutes of data during descent, 23 min. Aerobraking then parachute PARTIAL weak signal from the surface (1st man made FAILURE object to return data after landing on another planet) 1972 Venus Lander Data during descent, plus 50 minutes after Aerobraking/ D2.5m parachute at 60km landing 1975 Venus Orbiter Operated for 53 minutes after landing Protective hemispherical shell/ three parachutes/ disk and Lander shaped drag brake/ metal, compressible doughnut-shaped landing cushion Venera 10 1975 Venus Orbiter Operated for 65 minutes after landing See Venera 9 and Lander 1978 Venus Lander Transmitted data after touchdown for 95 Aerodynamic ~/ parachute ~/ atmospheric braking/ soft minutes, until it moved out of range with landing . 1978 Venus Lander Worked until out of range , transmitted from See Venera 11 the surface for 110 minutes. 1981 Venus Lander The lander survived for 117 minutes. Parachute/ at 47km parachute released/ aerobraking 1981 Venus Lander The lander survived for 57 minutes See Venera 13 The longest surface mission survived for almost 2 hours 3 Past Missions: Close-up Surface Features on Venus (USSR)

4 Past Missions: Venus Exploration, VEGA Mission

• International project: & 2 • Was managed by Space Research Institute (IKI) • Combined study of Venus and Halley's • Developed by Babakin Space Center • Fabricated by Association (in Khimki, Moscow region)

• Flew by Venus on June 11th and 15th, 1985; • Studied the surface & with • 2 balloons with 4 scientific experiments & • 2 landers with 9 experiments • VERY FRUITFUL INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

VEGA Mission Profile

VEGA balloon during Earth atmosphere testing 5 Past Missions: US Venus Missions

• 1962 - (U.S.) flew by Venus (12/14/62); Verified high temperatures.

• 1974 - (U.S.) bound for Mercury, flew by Venus (2/5/74); Tracked global atmospheric circulation with visible and violet imagery.

• 1978 - (U.S.) radar mapped Venus (12/78); (U.S.) dropped four probes through Venusian .

• 1989 - (U.S.) was launched toward Venus (5/4/89). It arrived at Venus in 1990 and mapped 98% of the planet. Mission ended in 1994.

6 Past Missions: Pioneer-Venus Probes Large Probe Small Probe

Large Probe Large Probe Pressure Vessel Internal Arrangement Separation Sequence Small Probe Pressure Vessel Internal Arrangement

Large Probe Design Summary Small Probe Design Summary Mass 302 kg Mass 94 kg Deceleration Module 109 kg Pressure Vessel 193 kg Deceleration Module 33 kg Diameter Pressure Vessel 61 kg Aeroshell 142 cm Diameter Pressure Vessel 78 cm Aeroshell 76 cm Battery 19 cell AgZn Pressure Vessel 47 cm 40 A-h Battery 20 cell AgZn Data Rate 128/256 bps Science Accommodations 7 pressure vessel penetrations 11 A-h 9 windows (8 sapphire, 1 diamond) Data Rate 16/64 bps Science Instruments 35 kg total, 106 W Science Accommodations 3 doors - (LAS) Atmospheric Structures 2 windows (sapphire) - (LN) Nephelometer Science Instruments 4.5 kg total, 10 W - (LCPS) Particle Size Spectrometer - (LIR) Infrared Radiometer - (SAS) Atmospheric Structures - (LNMS) Neutral Mass Spectrometer - (SN) Nephelometer - (LGS) Gas Chromatograph - (SNFR) Net Flux Radiometer - (LSFR) Solar Flux Radiometer Ref: Bernie Bienstock, Boeing Satellite Systems

©2005 • The Boeing Company • All rights reserved 7 Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) • established by NASA in July 2005

• to identify scientific priorities and strategy for exploration of Venus. VEXAG is currently composed of two co-chairs and two focus groups.

•The focus groups will actively solicit input from the scientific community. VEXAG will report its findings and provide input to NASA, but will not make recommendations.

• Chaired by Sushil Atreya and Janet Luhmann

• Next meeting May 1-2, 2006 Pasadena California

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/vexag.html 8 On-going Mission: (ESA)

• Follow-on to Express • Will study the atmosphere, the plasma environment, and the surface of Venus • Nominal mission: 500 days in Venus orbit • Launch Mass: 1270 kg • Operational orbit: 24-hour elliptical, quasi- polar orbit • Instruments: – ASPERA-4: Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms – MAG: – PFS: Planetary Fourier Spectrometer – SPICAV: Spectroscopy for Investigation of Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Venus – VeRa: Venus Radio Science – VIRTIS: Visible and Infrared Thermal Ref: ESA – VMC: Venus Monitoring Camera

9 On-going Mission: Venus Express (ESA)

NASA Participation on Venus Express: • 10 Venus Express Participating Scientist (PS) selected (NASA NRA Jan. ‘05; selection July ‘05, 10 selected out of 30 proposals submitted) Charles Acton - JPL NAIF Sushil Atreya - Univ. Michigan,Coupled dynamics and chemistry Kevin Baines - JPL, To the depths of Venus with Venus Express. US Science lead PS. Pontus Brandt - JHU/APL, Aspera-4 investigation David Crisp - JPL, To the depths of Venus with Venus Express Sanjay Limaye - Univ. Wisconsin, Exploration of dynamics and chemistry Janet Luhmann - UC Berkeley, Building on PVO Chris Russell - UCLA, Magnetometer investigation Alan Stern - SwRI, Occultation experiments (SPICAV) Len Tyler - Stanford, Radio science • DSN support (bistatic radar, Venus movie, etc) Tommy Thompson Lead for DSN and Program Support • Educational Outreach Program lead by Rosalyn Pertzborg and Sanjay Limaye ESA Announcement of Opportunity for Interdisciplinary Ref: ESA Scientist is out

NASA is considering supporting 1-3 USA VEX IDS 10 Future International Mission: Venus Climate Orbiter – aka Planet-C (JAXA) • The science plan of VCO is complementary with that of the ESA’s Venus Express mission • VCO focuses on global imaging from equatorial orbit • Science Goals: – Atmospheric dynamics Mechanism of super-rotation Meridionalcirculation Meso-scale processes Lightning Cloud – Detection of active volcanism – Inhomogeneity of surface material – Zodiacal light • Science Instruments: • Launch / Arrival: June 2010 / Dec 2010 – 1-mm Camera (IR1) • Planned mission lifetime: 2 years – 2-mm Camera (IR2) • S/C mass: 480 kg (including fuel) – Imager (UVI) • Science payload: 34 kg – Longwave Infrared Camera (LIR) • Attitude control: – Lightning and Airglow Camera (LAC) Pointing accuracy 0.1° / Stability 0.01° – Sensor Digital Electronics Unit (DE) • Orbit: Periapsis 300 km / Apoapsis 13 Rv – Radio Science (RS) / Period 30 hours Ref: Takeshi Imamura, JAXA’s Venus Climate Orbiter (Planet-C) Overview 11 Recent NASA Solar System Exploration Strategic Plans

1. NRC Decadal Survey – 2002 “New Frontiers in the Solar System, an Integrated Exploration Strategy”. Technical Report, Space Studies Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C. http://www.nap.edu 2. Solar System Exploration Roadmap – 2003 The 2003 Solar System Exploration Roadmap is available on line at http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/download-detail.cfm?DL_ID=3 3. Strategic Road Map for Solar System Exploration – 2005 Available from the Outer Assessment Group (OPAG) website: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/announcements.html

1. 2. 3.

12 Solar System Exploration Decadal Survey – 2002

Integrated Exploration Strategy • Presents key scientific questions • Ranked list of conceptual missions • Recommendations for the decade 2003-2013 • A set of “deferred high priority flight missions for decades beyond that” • Recommended significant investments in advanced technology to enable high priority flight missions

Implementation Approach • Discovery Program (<$350M) PI-led and competitively selected (6 to 7 per decade) • (<$650M) PI-led and competitively selected, but to a specified set of targets (4 per decade) – Orbiter w/ Probe, Lunar Sample Return, Comet Sample Return and • Flagship missions (>$650M) – directed missions http://www.nap.edu – like Cassini Huygens, 1 per decade 13 SSE Decadal Survey: Inner Solar System: Keys to Habitable Worlds

Exploration Strategy • Sample Return Missions from targets of increasing difficulty – Moon first – Mars next – Mercury-Venus

• In-Situ Exploration of Venus – Investigate surface and atmospheric chemistry – Demonstrate key technologies for sample return

•Network Scienceat Venus and Mercury – Seismology and magnetic – Heat flow – Atmospheric circulation for Venus – Technologies for extreme environments

Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech 14 SSE Decadal Survey : Chronological Sequence of Missions & Criteria for Setting Priorities • Scientific Merit – Significance of progress on high priority science objectives – Creates new or changes existing paradigms – Affects direction of future research – Improves predictive models • Opportunity – Orbital Mechanics – Relationship to other missions – International cooperation – Scientific discovery making this the right time for the mission – Public Interest

• Technological Readiness – Often drives choices between missions with equal scientific merit and no clear opportunity based discriminators – Major element of cost risk equation – Requires intensive mission trades and projection of future technological progress

15 Solar System Exploration Strategic Road Map – May 2005

2005 - 2015 2015 - 2025 2025 - 2035

New Start Geophysical Observer Decision Flagship Missions

Acronyms and Legend Technology Titan Explorer Decision SPAB – South Pole Aitken Basin SR – Sample Return FB – Flyby Other future options Technology DP – Deep Probes Venus Surface Explorer Comet Surface SR Decision Habitability Thread Science Europa Astrobiology or Architecture Thread Jupiter FB/DP Neptune System or … Decision Venus Surface Sample Venus In situ Return Lunar SPAB Explorer OR New Frontiers 3/decade () Jupiter Polar Orb Discovery 5/decade

Strategic First-Decade Technology Developments: - Power - Hypervelocity/Aero entry - High Temperature and High Pressure Operations Operations- Low Temperature Technology Development Ground-based Observations Research and Analysis Education & Public Outreach All mission categories in the SSE Roadmap (2005) includes missions for Venus Exploration These categories are: Flagship, New Frontiers and Discovery 16 Potential Future Missions: Discovery / New Frontiers Classes Next Step: Some Options for Venus Program Discovery Program – Venus concepts have been proposed at each opportunity; – Include orbiter, probe, lander and balloon concepts; – No Venus concept has been selected to date; – Discovery 12 AO has been issued. Because the competition is on-going no information on current concepts are available.

New Frontiers Program – Announcement of Opportunity expected in 2008

International collaboration and coordination - Mission of Opportunity via Discovery and New Frontiers - ESA’s Cosmic Vision

VEXAG - voice for the scientific community. Encourage coordination and could influence the collaborative process among agencies - Please participate

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