To get a worldwide point of view of Venus while remaining well above its hellish atmosphere, NASAs VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio science, Spectroscopy, topography, and insar) objective is scheduled to release within a years to survey the worlds surface area from orbit, uncovering clues about the nature of its interior.
“Its geological resemblances make Iceland an exceptional location to study Venus on Earth, helping the science team prepare for Venus.”
We gathered info in the field to ground-truth the radar data that we will use that to inform the science that VERITAS will do at Venus.”
” The different surface attributes and functions seen on Venus relate to volcanic procedures, which relate back to the interior of Venus,” stated Smrekar. VERITAS and NASAs Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) mission were selected in 2021 under NASAs Discovery Program as the firms next objectives to Venus.
Members of the VERITAS science group descend a slope to brand-new rock formed from a recent flow of lava during their Iceland field project in early August. The team utilized the volcanic landscape as a Venus analog to test radar technologies and strategies. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The JPL-led international team utilized the island as a stand-in for Venus to check radar innovations that will help discover the worlds ground reality.
With its crushing atmospheric pressure, clouds of sulfuric acid, and burning surface area temperature level, Venus is a particularly difficult place to study. However scientists know that observing its surface area can offer key insights into the habitability and development of rocky planets like our own. So to get a worldwide point of view of Venus while staying well above its hellish atmosphere, NASAs VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio science, Topography, insar, and spectroscopy) objective is arranged to release within a decade to survey the planets surface from orbit, uncovering hints about the nature of its interior.
To lay the groundwork for the objective, members of the international VERITAS science group traveled to Iceland for a two-week campaign in August to utilize the volcanic island as a Venus stand-in, or analog. Places on our world typically are utilized as analogs for other planets, specifically to help prepare techniques and innovations intended for more uninviting environments.
Members of the worldwide VERITAS science team prepare for lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) imaging of rocks in Iceland. Lidar measurements of rocky terrain can supply info about the product, such as surface area roughness that can then be compared to radar images of the exact same place. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
” Iceland is a volcanic country that sits atop a hot plume. Venus is a volcanic planet with abundant geological proof for active plumes,” said Suzanne Smrekar, senior research scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the VERITAS principal investigator. “Its geological resemblances make Iceland an exceptional location to study Venus in the world, assisting the science team get ready for Venus.”
VERITAS Technological Edge
The VERITAS objective will count on a state-of-the-art synthetic aperture radar to create 3D global maps and a near-infrared spectrometer to compare the significant rock types on Venus surface area. But to much better comprehend what the spacecrafts radar will “see” on earth, the VERITAS science group would require to compare radar observations of Icelands terrain from the air with measurements handled the ground.
An example of the DLR air-borne radar data shows elevation change of numerous 10s of lawns around the volcanically active Litli-Hrútur volcano triggered by the production of new rock. The red shows the most change; blue, the least. Credit: DLR
From Air to Ground: Iceland Exploration
For the very first half of the project, the VERITAS science group studied the Askja volcanic deposits and the Holuhraun lava field in the Icelandic Highlands, an active area including young rock and current lava flows. For the second half, they traveled to the volcanically active Fagradalsfjall region on the Reykjanes Peninsula of southwestern Iceland. The rocky and barren landscapes of both look like Venus surface, which is thought to be invigorated by active volcanism.
Nineteen researchers from the U.S., Germany, Italy, and Iceland camped and worked long hours to study the surface roughness and other residential or commercial properties of rocks in those areas, gathering lab samples. Flights led by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, or DLR) collected radar information from above.
Utilizing a tripod-mounted lidar scanner, the science group created this image that highlighted the ropy texture of brand-new rock formed by a current lava flow near Icelands Litli-Hrútur volcano. This will be used to compare with the campaigns air-borne radar pictures of the very same region. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
” The JPL-led science team was working on the ground while our DLR partners flew overhead to collect aerial radar images of the locations we were studying,” said Daniel Nunes, VERITAS deputy task scientist at JPL and Iceland campaign preparation lead. “The radar brightness of the surface area associates with the homes of that surface, consisting of roughness, water, and texture material. We gathered information in the field to ground-truth the radar data that we will use that to inform the science that VERITAS will do at Venus.”
Technological Insights
Flying aboard DLRs Dornier 228-212 airplane about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) in the air, the synthetic aperture radar gathered S-band (radio waves with a wavelength of about 12 centimeters, or 4.7 inches) and X-band (about 3 centimeters, or 1.2 inches) information. The much shorter wavelength of X-band information– the radio frequency VERITAS will utilize– enables using a more compact antenna than S-band, which was utilized by NASAs Magellan mission to map nearly the entire surface area of Venus in the early 1990s.
This artists idea shows the proposed VERITAS spacecraft using its radar to produce high-resolution maps of Venus geologic and topographic features. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
By observing the surface in both bands in Iceland, the science team will refine computer system algorithms that will assist VERITAS identify surface area changes on Venus that have actually taken place considering that Magellans mission. Identifying changes over the last 40 years will allow them to identify essential regions of geologic activity (such as active volcanoes) on Venus.
An essential goal for the campaign was to also develop a sample library of as many volcanic surface area textures in Iceland as possible to much better comprehend Venus series of eruption styles. A DLR field team likewise collected compositional info with a video camera that imitates the Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM) instrument the German Aerospace Center is developing for VERITAS. This data will support the spectral library being created at the Planetary Spectroscopy Laboratory in Berlin.
” The various surface characteristics and functions seen on Venus connect to volcanic processes, which relate back to the interior of Venus,” said Smrekar. “This data is going to be valuable to VERITAS to assist us better understand Venus. It will likewise help the European Space Agencys EnVision objective, which will study Venus surface with S-band radar, and the neighborhood at large that wishes to understand radar observations of volcanic planetary surfaces.”
The worth of the two-week Iceland campaign went beyond science, providing a team-building chance that will resonate for years to come, stated Nunes. From obtaining gear to driving to the study sites and purchasing products, everyone hustled to make it happen.”
More About the Mission
VERITAS and NASAs Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) mission were chosen in 2021 under NASAs Discovery Program as the firms next missions to Venus. VERITAS partners consist of Lockheed Martin Space, the Italian Space Agency, the DLR, and Centre National dÉtudes Spatiales in France. The Discovery Program is handled by the Planetary Missions Program Office at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the Planetary Science Division of NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
