DAVINCI will send a probe one meter in diameter to withstand the high temperatures and pressures near the surface of Venus to explore the atmosphere from above the clouds to near the surface of terrain that may be former continents. During the last kilometer of free fall (artist impressions shown here), the probe will capture the first stunning images and chemical measurements of Venus’ inner atmosphere. Credit: NASA/GSFC/CI Labs
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s vision of the Renaissance,[{” attribute=””>NASA is presently preparing its scientific return to
NASA’s DAVINCI mission will study the origins, evolution, and current state of Venus in unprecedented detail from near the cloud tops to the planet’s surface. The mission’s goal is to help answer long-standing questions about our neighboring planets, particularly whether Venus is as wet and habitable as Earth. Named for Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, the DAVINCI Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation mission for noble gases, chemistry and imaging is scheduled to launch in late 2020.
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It’s 900 degrees at the surface, has strong high-altitude winds, and is shrouded in a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere.
Venus. Even though they are the same size and density as Earth, the similarities end there.
Earth has water and life.
The flower was silent, dry and seemed lifeless.
The DAVINCI mission, named after Leonardo da Vinci, will take us back to Venus and answer unresolved questions about this mysterious planet.
This exciting new mission will launch in June 2029.
During two gravity-assisted flybys, DAVINCI will study cloud tops in ultraviolet light, track cloud motion, and analyze mysterious UV-absorbing chemicals.
The two planes will also check the nighttime heat escaping from the surface. These geological clues will paint a global picture of surface formation and evolution.
Seven months after our second flight, DAVINCI will launch its Atmospheric Landing Probe, which will re-enter the atmosphere for two days.
It takes about an hour for the probe to descend into the atmosphere, and make measurements to the surface.
These measurements will include composition, wind, temperature, pressure, and acceleration profiles.
The main gases will help us understand how Venus formed and evolved. Some of these measurements may reveal traces of ancient water.
The spherical probe has sophisticated instruments that will work together to answer questions about Venus’ atmosphere, protecting it from extreme temperatures, high pressure and acidic clouds in the environment.
The DAVINCI camera looks down through a small viewport, and once the probe passes under the clouds it will begin to piece together a series of 3D views that will also help us understand whether the rocks in the Alpha Regio Highlands reveal the story of ancient continent formation. through water. Student collaboration experiments with oxygen sensing will reveal the role of this gas deep in the atmosphere.
The discoveries that emerge from this diverse data set will help tell us whether Venus was ever habitable, and the stories we find will reach far beyond our solar system to the analogous exoplanets that will be visible with the James Webb Space Telescope.
Venus awaits us all and DAVINCI is ready to take us outside and ignite a new Venusian awakening.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center leads the DAVINCI mission as a PI.
