Russia Plans "long-lived" Venus Probe Options

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Russia Plans "Long-Lived" Venus Probe

The press secretary of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Vyacheslav Davidenko, has said that Russia will design and launch a long-living probe to Venus by 2015. The probe is known as Venera-D.

Davidenko told a news briefing that within the federal Space budget for 2006-2015 was envisaged, “work to develop a principally new spacecraft, Venera D, intended for detailed studies of the atmosphere and surface of Venus”.

“It is expected that the craft with a long, more than one month period of active existence will land on the surface of the planet that is the nearest to the earth. Nobody has done such thing on Venus so far.”

Source: ITAR-TASS

[JRehling]

“It is expected that the craft with a long, more than one month period of active existence will land on the surface

No word on the thermal strategy: Build a spacecraft that can withstand the heat. Or, use refrigeration to keep the probe cool. Or some combination of both. A probe that was built to withstand the heat might well last indefinitely, much longer than a month.

Would this be the first Soviet/Russian spacecraft to use an RTG? I think they have been able to rely upon batteries and solar panels thus far.

The next question is what a long-lived probe's long life would be for. Data on wind/temperature/pressure variations would be interesting, but may turn out to be boringly constant. It's possible that wind would blow some dust around, but that's no guarantee. Skyward looking cameras could show variation in cloud structure blowing overhead. One baseline instrument that seems to me to provide a clear need for life beyond an hour would be a seismograph, which is of diminished value without a long life span. Additionally, if there is a sampling/instrument arm, then arbitrarily long mission durations could yield the benefit of more sampling, especially with irradiative spectrometers that require long integration times. Maybe a long, double-jointed arm could scan a grid around the lander, moving a small suite of MER-like instruments carefully around the base. It would then be essential to keep the arm's movements from interfering with the seismometer.

[ljk4-1]

No word on the thermal strategy: Build a spacecraft that can withstand the heat. Or, use refrigeration to keep the probe cool. Or some combination of both. A probe that was built to withstand the heat might well last indefinitely, much longer than a month.

Would this be the first Soviet/Russian spacecraft to use an RTG? I think they have been able to rely upon batteries and solar panels thus far.

The next question is what a long-lived probe's long life would be for. Data on wind/temperature/pressure variations would be interesting, but may turn out to be boringly constant. It's possible that wind would blow some dust around, but that's no guarantee. Skyward looking cameras could show variation in cloud structure blowing overhead. One baseline instrument that seems to me to provide a clear need for life beyond an hour would be a seismograph, which is of diminished value without a long life span. Additionally, if there is a sampling/instrument arm, then arbitrarily long mission durations could yield the benefit of more sampling, especially with irradiative spectrometers that require long integration times. Maybe a long, double-jointed arm could scan a grid around the lander, moving a small suite of MER-like instruments carefully around the base. It would then be essential to keep the arm's movements from interfering with the seismometer.

While I have no illusions regarding the complexity this would add to such a mission, perhaps the lander could be attached to a balloon that would periodically rise into the cooler heights, then settle down somewhere else for a while. Perhaps a lack of longevity can be made up for in visiting more places on Venus.

[RNeuhaus]

While I have no illusions regarding the complexity this would add to such a mission, perhaps the lander could be attached to a balloon that would periodically rise into the cooler heights, then settle down somewhere else for a while.

As we know that Venus' atmosphere is very heavy, about 90 times of Earth's ones and it is like that we are about 900 meters under the sea.

Then it is true that when "we" or the robot are on the Venus' surface, then we are going to walk very slow and alike as to swiming under the water, isn't ?

If it is true, so the spacecraft won't need a parachute to land on the Venus' surface when it is above, as an example 1000 meters of surface since the spacecraft, without a parachute will go down like a shipwreck?

Rodolfo

[David]

If it is true, so the spacecraft won't need a parachute to land on the Venus' surface when it is above, as an example 1000 meters of surface since the spacecraft, without a parachute will go down like a shipwreck?

It seems to me you'd still need a parachute to slow your descent through the upper layers of atmosphere. But according to what Bruce is saying, if your craft has enough buoyancy, you don't ever actually need to land; the craft could float in the atmosphere without ever touching down.

[RNeuhaus]

It seems to me you'd still need a parachute to slow your descent through the upper layers of atmosphere.  But according to what Bruce is saying, if your craft has enough buoyancy, you don't ever actually need to land; the craft could float in the atmosphere without ever touching down.

Thanks David.

Now it understand perfectly.

It is very funny to think this strange experience: walk in the air like under the water...

Of course, the buoyance depends upon the relative of density of the body-weight of spacecraft versus the Venusian air. So to land to Venus is by far simpler than to Mars since there is no worry of final thrust before landing the surface.

Rodolfo