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Future Exploration of Venus: Future Exploration of Venus: Some NASA PerspectivesSome NASA Perspectives

Adriana Ocampo & Steve SaundersNational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationAdriana.C.Ocampo@nasa.gov

James Cutts & Tibor Balint Jet Propulsion Laboratory / CaltechJames.A.Cutts@jpl.nasa.gov & Tibor.Balint@jpl.nasa.gov

Presented at the

Chapman ConferenceExploring Venus as a Terrestrial Planet

Key Largo, Florida, USA13-16 February 2006

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OverviewOverview

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

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

Year Type / Method Comment Method EDLVenusVenera 3 FAILED

1965 Venus Lander Impacted Venus, Contact Lost Parachute

Venera 4FAILED

1967 Venus Probe Failed at altitude 24.96 km Parachute

Venera 5FAILED

1969 Venus Probe During parachute descent data was transmitted from the atmosphere for 53minutes before failure

Parachute

Venera 6FAILED

1969 Venus Probe During parachute descent data was transmitted from the atmosphere for 51minutes before failure

Parachute

Venera 7PARTIAL FAILURE

1970 Venus Lander 35 minutes of data during descent, 23 min.weak signal from the surface (1st man made object to return data after landing on another planet)

Aerobraking then parachute

Venera 8 1972 Venus Lander Data during descent, plus 50 minutes after landing

Aerobraking/ D2.5m parachute at 60km

Venera 9 1975 Venus Orbiter and Lander

Operated for 53 minutes after landing Protective hemispherical shell/ three parachutes/ disk shaped drag brake/ metal, compressible doughnut-shaped landing cushion

Venera 10 1975 Venus Orbiter and Lander

Operated for 65 minutes after landing See Venera 9

Venera 11 1978 Venus Lander Transmitted data after touchdown for 95 minutes, until it moved out of range with Earth.

Aerodynamic ~/ parachute ~/ atmospheric braking/ soft landing

Venera 12 1978 Venus Lander Worked until out of range , transmitted fromthe surface for 110 minutes.

See Venera 11

Venera 13 1981 Venus Lander The lander survived for 117 minutes. Parachute/ at 47km parachute released/ aerobrakingVenera 14 1981 Venus Lander The lander survived for 57 minutes See Venera 13

The longest surface mission survived for almost 2 hours

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Past Past Missions: Missions: CloseClose--up Surface Features on Venus (USSR)up Surface Features on Venus (USSR)

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Past Missions: Past Missions: Venus Exploration, VEGA MissionVenus Exploration, VEGA Mission

VEGA balloon during Earth atmosphere testing

• International project: VEGA 1 & 2• Was managed by Space Research Institute (IKI)• Combined study of Venus and Halley's comet• Developed by Babakin Space Center • Fabricated by Lavochkin Association

(in Khimki, Moscow region)

• Flew by Venus on June 11th and 15th, 1985; • Studied the surface & atmosphere of Venus with

• 2 balloons with 4 scientific experiments & • 2 landers with 9 experiments

• VERY FRUITFUL INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

VEGA Mission Profile

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Past Past Missions: Missions: US Venus MissionsUS Venus Missions

• 1962 - Mariner 2 (U.S.) flew by Venus(12/14/62); Verified high temperatures.

• 1974 - Mariner 10 (U.S.) bound for Mercury, flew by Venus (2/5/74); Tracked global atmospheric circulation with visible and violet imagery.

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

• 1989 - Magellan (U.S.) was launched toward Venus (5/4/89). It arrived at Venus in 1990 and mapped98% of the planet. Mission ended in 1994.

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Past Past Missions: Missions: PioneerPioneer--Venus ProbesVenus Probes

Large ProbeSeparation Sequence Small Probe Pressure Vessel Internal ArrangementLarge Probe Pressure Vessel Internal Arrangement

Large Probe Small Probe

Large Probe Design Summary Mass Deceleration Module Pressure Vessel

302 kg 109 kg 193 kg

Diameter Aeroshell Pressure Vessel

142 cm 78 cm

Battery 19 cell AgZn 40 A-h

Data Rate 128/256 bps Science Accommodations 7 pressure vessel penetrations

9 windows (8 sapphire, 1 diamond) Science Instruments 35 kg total, 106 W

- (LAS) Atmospheric Structures - (LN) Nephelometer - (LCPS) Cloud Particle Size Spectrometer - (LIR) Infrared Radiometer - (LNMS) Neutral Mass Spectrometer - (LGS) Gas Chromatograph - (LSFR) Solar Flux Radiometer

Small Probe Design Summary Mass Deceleration Module Pressure Vessel

94 kg 33 kg 61 kg

Diameter Aeroshell Pressure Vessel

76 cm 47 cm

Battery 20 cell AgZn 11 A-h

Data Rate 16/64 bps Science Accommodations 3 doors

2 windows (sapphire) Science Instruments 4.5 kg total, 10 W

- (SAS) Atmospheric Structures - (SN) Nephelometer - (SNFR) Net Flux Radiometer

©2005 • The Boeing Company • All rights reserved

Ref: Bernie Bienstock, Boeing Satellite Systems

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• 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 scientificcommunity. 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

Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG)

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/vexag.html

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OnOn--going going Mission:Mission: Venus Express (ESA)Venus Express (ESA)

• Follow-on to Mars 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: Magnetometer – PFS: Planetary Fourier Spectrometer – SPICAV: Spectroscopy for

Investigation of Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Venus

– VeRa: Venus Radio Science – VIRTIS: Visible and Infrared Thermal

Imaging Spectrometer – VMC: Venus Monitoring Camera Ref: ESA

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OnOn--going going Mission:Mission: Venus Express (ESA)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 NAIFSushil Atreya - Univ. Michigan,Coupled dynamics and

chemistryKevin Baines - JPL, To the depths of Venus with Venus

Express. US Science lead PS.Pontus Brandt - JHU/APL, Aspera-4 investigationDavid Crisp - JPL, To the depths of Venus with Venus

ExpressSanjay Limaye - Univ. Wisconsin, Exploration of dynamics

and chemistryJanet Luhmann - UC Berkeley, Building on PVOChris Russell - UCLA, Magnetometer investigationAlan 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 Scientist is out

NASA is considering supporting 1-3 USA VEX IDS

Ref: ESA

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Future International Mission: Future International Mission: Venus Climate Orbiter Venus Climate Orbiter –– aka Planetaka Planet--C (JAXA)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-rotationMeridionalcirculationMeso-scale processesLightningCloud physics

– Detection of active volcanism– Inhomogeneity of surface material– Zodiacal light

• Science Instruments:– 1-mm Camera (IR1) – 2-mm Camera (IR2) – Ultraviolet Imager (UVI)– Longwave Infrared Camera (LIR) – Lightning and Airglow Camera (LAC) – Sensor Digital Electronics Unit (DE) – Radio Science (RS)

Ref: Takeshi Imamura, JAXA’s Venus Climate Orbiter (Planet-C) Overview

• Launch / Arrival: June 2010 / Dec 2010• Planned mission lifetime: 2 years • S/C mass: 480 kg (including fuel)• Science payload: 34 kg• Attitude control:

Pointing accuracy 0.1° / Stability 0.01°• Orbit: Periapsis 300 km / Apoapsis 13 Rv

/ Period 30 hours

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Recent NASA Solar System Exploration Strategic PlansRecent 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 – 2003The 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 – 2005Available from the Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) website:http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/announcements.html

1. 1. 2. 3. 2. 3.

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Solar System Exploration Decadal Survey Solar System Exploration Decadal Survey –– 20022002

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)• New Frontiers Program (<$650M) PI-led and

competitively selected, but to a specified set of targets (4 per decade) – Jupiter Orbiter w/ Probe, Lunar Sample Return, Comet Sample Return and Venus In Situ Explorer

• Flagship missions (>$650M) – directed missions – like Cassini Huygens, 1 per decadehttp://www.nap.edu

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SSE Decadal Survey:SSE Decadal Survey:Inner Solar System: Keys to Habitable WorldsInner 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 Science at Venus and Mercury– Seismology and magnetic fields– Heat flow– Atmospheric circulation for Venus– Technologies for extreme

environmentsCourtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

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SSE Decadal Survey : SSE Decadal Survey : Chronological Sequence of Missions & Criteria for Setting PrioriChronological Sequence of Missions & Criteria for Setting Priorities ties

• 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

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Solar System Exploration Strategic Road Map Solar System Exploration Strategic Road Map –– May 2005May 2005

Acronyms and Legend

SPAB – South Pole Aitken BasinSR – Sample Return

FB – FlybyDP – Deep Probes

Habitability ThreadArchitecture Thread

Europa Astrobiology or Neptune System or …Venus Surface Sample Return

Education & Public Outreach

2005 - 2015 2015 - 2025 2025 - 2035

Strategic First-Decade Technology Developments:- Power- Hypervelocity/Aero entry- High Temperature and High

Pressure Operations- Low Temperature Operations

Europa Geophysical Observer

ScienceDecision

Flagship Missions

Research and Analysis

Ground-based Observations

Technology Development

Titan Explorer

Venus Surface Explorer

New Horizons (Pluto)

Lunar SPAB

Jupiter Polar Orb

3/decade

Discovery 5/decade

OR

Comet Surface SR

Jupiter FB/DP

Venus In situ Explorer

New Frontiers

Other future options

TechnologyDecision

TechnologyDecision

New Start Decision

All mission categories in the SSE Roadmap (2005) includes missions for Venus ExplorationThese categories are: Flagship, New Frontiers and Discovery

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Potential Future Missions: Discovery / New Frontiers ClassesPotential Future Missions: Discovery / New Frontiers ClassesNext StepNext Step: : Some Options for Venus ProgramSome 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