In the universe, Venus is especially mysterious. Our closest planetary neighbor may look like Earth at first, but gradually the two planets have developed more and more different trajectories. Some spacecraft have attempted to study Venus from orbit, and some have even managed to land on the surface of Venus to explore. Even so, what we know about Venus is still very limited. Many questions remain to be answered, such as: Are there lightning, earthquakes or active volcanoes on Venus right now? How does the atmosphere on Venus move and interact with the surface? Could life exist in the clouds of Venus?
The surface of Venus is dry and barren, shrouded in a suffocating dense and poisonous atmosphere, and scorched by hellish heat. Instruments placed on the surface of Venus typically don't last for a few hours, but orbiters struggle to capture a complete and detailed picture of the surface at all wavelengths. However, robotic balloons (aviation robots) can carry out a series of scientific studies on Venus without having to withstand the harsh environment on the surface and without being restricted by orbiters.
What is an aerobot?
Aerobots are robotic balloons. Some aerial robots can adjust altitude by inflating or deflating air, and move through the air with autonomous guidance systems. Aerobots on Venus may have balloons around 10 meters in diameter and carry more than 20 kilograms of scientific instruments.
Similar to the Soviet-made Vega balloon in 1985, aerobots can map the planet's surface features, gravity and magnetic field as it roams freely in Venus' atmosphere. Aerobots can also act as relay stations between ground-based instruments and orbiting spacecraft. Currently, some Venus mission ideas include an aerial robot serving as both an independent investigative tool and a support device.
Earth-to-air Could
air balloons detect seismic activity below the ground?
Because of the strong connection between Venus's surface and its dense atmosphere, it is possible for air balloons to detect subsurface seismic activity. Seismic activity underground causes vibrations that travel up the air in the form of sound waves. Instruments carried on the balloon can then measure and decode these detected vibrational waves. Several teams are already testing "infrasonic" technology on Earth to better understand how it could be used on Venus.
Volcano Monitor
Venus has many volcanoes and volcanic features. But is there still active volcanism on Venus today? This is one of many important unsolved mysteries of Venus. However, a network of robotic balloons may be able to solve the mystery. If any volcanic activity on Venus rumblings, those sounds would travel through the atmosphere as sound waves. Three aerial robots armed with infrasound microphones can then triangulate the signal and pinpoint the location of volcanic activity, which is then sent to orbiting satellites for study.
Among the clouds The clouds in the lower and middle atmosphere of
Venus may be the main habitat for microorganisms. The temperature of the clouds of Venus ranges from 0 to 60°C, and the atmospheric pressure is 0.4 to 2 times that of the Earth's sea-level atmospheric pressure. There are also aerosols and liquid water droplets in the clouds. An aerial robot flying at an altitude of about 50 kilometers should be able to measure the chemical composition of clouds and collect samples of aerosols or water droplets, provided they carry the right analytical instruments. As the robot moves around, it can also map how chemicals and potential life change in three-dimensional space.
Friendly Skies
Travelling through Venus' atmosphere can provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for field research. Spectrometers can measure atmospheric chemistry with an unprecedented level of detail. The balloon can map Venus's wind in 3D, measure atmospheric temperature and pressure, and how sunlight penetrates the atmosphere to reach the surface, and how gravitational and planetary waves travel through the air. All of these measurements are critical to the navigation of aerobots and to interpreting other discoveries on Venus, whether based on balloons or other devices.
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