DaVinci | Goddard Team Passes More Heating Trials, For 2030s Largely Automated Mission To Venus' Surface...

[As it is very wet in Northern Ireland today (and I'm headed to a hot and sunny Parisian weekend, and week -- via Chunnel), I've now popped into a publican for a bit, and am doing at least one marginal space science post, by iPhone.] We have been following this mission development, at Goddard, for over five years. It will offer us significant new insights, as to the second planet -- by the 2032 timeframe, or so.

The team at Goddard earlier had verified the cams it will use can withstand the punishing heat of a plunge to the surface of Venus -- now they've verified that all the working components of the spacecraft will not exceed rated temps, inside the titanium shielded ball that will make the parachute jump, on entry into orbit. Here's the ltest, on NASA's 2030-ish automated Venusian probe craft:

. . .An engineering model of NASA’s DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) descent probe passed a key test that ran from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10, showing it can survive the extreme temperatures of Venus.

The DAVINCI team took the engineering model to a furnace at Rex Heat Treat in Bedford, Pennsylvania, as it’s one of few facilities capable of heating up to Venus-like temperatures as rapidly as the probe would experience. . . .

Encased in a corrosion resistant, strong-yet-lightweight titanium shell, the DAVINCI probe will be equipped with a suite of instruments to sample the composition of the gases of the Venusian atmosphere to determine what molecules they’re made of and learn about the atmosphere’s structure. It will also contain cameras that will snap the highest-resolution images of Venus’ surface ever, which scientists will use to make a 3D map, and a radio system to send data back to the spacecraft flying 5,600 miles (9,000 kilometers) overhead.

This heat testing follows on the heels of a campaign earlier this summer to demonstrate the probe’s imaging system. The mission is currently working toward gaining approval to move into the final design and fabrication phase. “The DAVINCI team has now met both of the major mission milestones this year on an accelerated timeline,” Garvin said. Showing that the DAVINCI probe can beat the Venusian heat, brings scientists one step closer to learning why Earth’s “twin” turned out so different from our home.. . .

Onward, ever grinning. . . .



नमस्ते