NASA Wants DAVINCI Mission To Plunge Into Toxic Venus Athmosphere

NASA scientists and engineers released new information regarding NASA's Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) project.

According to an article just published in The Planetary Science Journal, DAVINCI will drop through the stratified Venus atmosphere to the planet's surface in mid-2031.

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NASA DAVINCI to Dive Into Toxic Venus Atmosphere

DAVINCI, a flying analytical chemistry laboratory, will evaluate the critical characteristics of Venus' huge atmosphere-climate system for the first time. Phys.org said many of which have been Venus measurement goals since the early 1980s.

It will also provide the first descent imagery of Venus's steep highlands and geological composition and surface relief measurements at scales hard to achieve from orbit.

The mission will enable measurements of hitherto unknown gases present in trace levels in the Earth's lowest atmosphere, such as the critical ratio of hydrogen isotopes to water components, which reveals the early atmosphere's history of water as oceans or steam.

During flybys of Venus, the mission's carrier, relay, and imaging spacecraft (CRIS) will drop a tiny fall probe with five instruments that will provide a slew of new observations with extreme precision as it plummets to the hot surface.

Venus, according to NASA, has a thick and poisonous atmosphere made up of sulfuric acid clouds that trap heat and allow a greenhouse effect to spiral out of control.

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Moreover, despite Mercury's proximity to the Sun, Venus is regarded as the hottest planet in the solar system.

DAVINCI'S observations, according to Jim Garvin, lead author of the publication in the Planetary Science Journal, would allow astronomers to examine historical characteristics of the atmosphere, including the identification of rock types near its surface.

How DAVINCI Will Enter Atmosphere

Three Venus gravity assists will be used by DAVINCI, which will conserve fuel by allowing the CRIS flying system's speed and/or direction to be changed using the planet's gravity.

The first two gravity assistance will help CRIS prepare for a Venus flyby, allowing it to undertake ultraviolet and near-infrared remote sensing and collect more than 60 gigabits of fresh data on the planet's atmosphere and surface.

The spacecraft will be prepared for entry, descent, science, a touchdown, and follow-up communication to Earth with the third gravity assist from Venus.

Six and a half months after launch, the spacecraft will make its first flyby of Venus. It will take two years to get the probe into position for entry into the atmosphere above Alpha Regio at "high noon," with excellent illumination to examine the landscapes of Venus at scales ranging from one to 100 meters.

DAVINCI is scheduled to launch in June 2029 and enter the atmosphere of Venus in June 2031. However, the planned data is still subject to change.

According to Garvin, no previous mission to Venus's atmosphere has attempted to measure its chemistry or habitats to the extent of DAVINCI's knowledge.