Why we need to go to Venus: The future of European Venus Exploration
- Paper number
IAC-08.A3.6.10
- Author
Dr. Colin Wilson, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Prof. Eric Chassefier, Service d'Aeronomie ISPL, France
- Coauthor
Dr. Takeshi Imamura, ISAS/JAXA, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Oleg Korablev, Russian Space Research Institute - IKI, Russia
- Coauthor
Mr. Kevin Baines, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Dmitri Titov, Max-Planck Institut, Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Karen Aplin, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Dr. Tibor S. Balint, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Jacques Blamont, CNES, France
- Coauthor
Dr. Csaba Ferencz, Hungary
- Coauthor
Dr. Chris Cochrane, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Dr. Francesca Ferri, University of Padova, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Mikhail Gerasimov, Russian Space Research Institute - IKI, Russia
- Coauthor
Dr. Johannes Leitner, University of Vienna, Austria
- Coauthor
Dr. José Lopez-Moreno, Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, Spain
- Coauthor
Dr. Bernard Marty, CRPG / CNRS, France
- Coauthor
Mr. Maxim Martynov, Lavochkin Association, Russia
- Coauthor
Dr. Sergei Pogrebenko, Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Dr. Alexander Rodin, Russian Space Research Institute - IKI, Russia
- Coauthor
Dr. Jim Whiteway, York University, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Ludmilla Zasova, Russian Space Research Institute - IKI, Russia
- Year
2008
- Abstract
Venus is the most Earthlike planet we know besides our own, in terms of its size and distance from its parent star. It was probably formed from the same materials as the Earth and Mars, at a similar time - why then has it evolved so differently? Venus' past may well have been like that of the early Earth, with large amounts of carbon dioxide and water vapour in its atmosphere. But while on Earth the carbon dioxide was largely removed from the atmosphere into carbonate rocks, on Venus the water largely escaped to space leaving an immense carbon dioxide atmosphere whose greenhouse warming bakes the surface to an uncomfortable 450 deg C. At a time when we are discovering hundreds of planets outside our solar system, and becoming more conscious of the evolution of our own climate, Venus exploration is crucially relevant to the understanding of the evolution of Earth-like planets and their climates. To address this core question, a team of 170+ scientists from around the world formulated the European Venus Explorer (EVE) mission proposal to the European Space Agency's Cosmic Vision Programme in 2007. Although it was not chosen in the 2007 selection round for programmatic reasons, we take this opportunity to reiterate the science goals which motivated the EVE mission, and discuss the status of technological and programmatic developments required to address these goals. The EVE mission consists of one balloon platform floating at an altitude of 50-60 km, one descent probe provided by Russia, and an orbiter with a polar orbit which will relay data from the balloon and descent probe, and perform science observations. The balloon type preferred for scientific goals is one which oscillates in altitude through the cloud deck. To achieve this flight profile, the balloon envelope contains a phase change fluid, which results in a flight profile which oscillates in height. The majority of the science goals can also be achieved using a helium superpressure balloon. The nominal balloon lifetime is 7 days - enough for one full circumnavigation of the planet. The descent probe's fall through the atmosphere takes 60 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of operation on the surface. The orbiter provides data relay for the in situ elements but also carries a significant remote sensing payload which will continue to operate for 1-2 years after the operation of the probes. The key measurement objectives of EVE are: (i) in situ measurement from the balloon of noble gas abundances and stable isotope ratios , to study the record of the evolution of Venus; (ii) in situ balloon-borne measurement of cloud particle and gas composition, and their spatial variation, to understand the complex cloud-level chemistry; (iii) in situ measurements of environmental parameters and winds (from tracking of the balloon) for one rotation around the planet, to understand atmospheric dynamics and radiative balance in this crucial region. The portfolio of key measurements is complemented by the Russian descent probe, which enables the investigation of the deep atmosphere and surface; and by the orbiter instrument suite, which will gather vital context data and perform important new measurements including thermal infrared spectroscopy and next-generation radar mapping.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A3.6.10.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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