Express by Sebastian Kettley 7/9/2018
NASA aims to enter a new age of space exploration by testing out a fleet of unmanned drones in the skies above Venus.
The US space agency challenged Colorado-based Black Swift Technologies (BST) to construct flying drones capable of withstanding Venus’s harsh atmosphere.
The company from Boulder, Colorado, specialises in the development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) but NASA’s incredible task could be the hardest yet.
NASA’s contract with BST calls for a number of remote aerial drones to soar in parts Venus’ atmosphere which are not too dissimilar to conditions back home.
The proposed drone design envisions a “dynamic soaring†machine similar to many gliding aircraft on Earth.
Jack Elston, company CEO, said: “While there have been a variety of systems proposed for upper atmospheric observation of Venus, the planet’s high wind speeds pose a significant design challenge.
“Our solution will be designed to not only survive in the harsh wind environment, but also simultaneously perform targeted sampling of the atmosphere while continuously extracting energy, even on the darks side of the planet.â€
The surface of Venus is an incredibly inhospitable landscape due to the planet’s close proximity to the sun.
Average surface temperatures peak around 467C, making Venus the hottest planet in the solar system.
But between 31 miles (50km) to 40 miles (65km) above the surface the atmospheric conditions are fairly reminiscent of the skies above Earth.
The temperatures and pressures on both planets are comparable which makes Venus a prime candidate for space exploration.
More:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/986071/NASA-news-Venus-drones-space-agency-contract-venus-mission
