Zephyr - NASA Sail Rover to explore Venus

Venus is called the Earth's twin due to its comparable size and mass. However, the planet is shrouded in a thick layer of clouds of sulfuric acid, which makes it impossible to study it optically. In addition, the surface temperature is very high due to its proximity to the sun. Therefore, the study of Venus is quite difficult.



Geoffrey Landis is studying this issue at the NASA research center in Cleveland. Together with the laboratory COMPASS (Collaborative Modeling for Parametric Assessment of Space Systems), he is developing a new type of apparatus - the Zephyr rover, which is supposed to be able to use strong winds in the atmosphere to study the surface of Venus. The device will be able to move around the planet and withstand temperatures up to 450 degrees Celsius.

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^{The process of descent and landing "Zephyr".}



The atmosphere of Venus is clear from dense clouds at an altitude of 30 km. And the surface is a very flat rocky terrain without major irregularities. Most of the time "Zephyr" should be carried out on the surface, studying it, but if it is necessary to move, a special sail will unfold that can set the rover in motion.



The design of the device is unusual and consists of only two moving parts - mechanisms of raising the sail and controlling it, these processes will not require a large expenditure of energy. The rover will be powered by solar panels with a total area of ​​12 square meters. This will be enough for 15 minutes of movement daily.



If the mission is started, a spacecraft will land on Venus for the first time since 1980, when the Soviet Union sent spacecraft to explore the planet as part of its program . The Zephyr project currently exists as a concept in Innovative Advanced Concepts. In the future, NASA scientists plan to work on other concepts of research vehicles with low power consumption.



via NASA and UniverseToday