Soaring “aerobots” will study the acid clouds of Venus

(ORDO NEWS) — According to the many data obtained by scientists, Venus used to be a completely different planet than it is now. But about 500 million years ago, a catastrophic event occurred on the planet that changed it beyond recognition – this event caused a self-accelerating development of the greenhouse effect, which led to the formation of the “poisonous hell” that we observe on the surface of the planet today.

Therefore, the study of Venus provides valuable information about the evolution of conditions on the planet, which can serve as a basis for studying the evolution of other planets.

In the coming years, NASA plans to send several lighter-than-air missions to Venus to study the planet’s upper atmosphere, where temperatures and atmospheric pressures are maintained comparable to those in Earth‘s atmosphere. With NASA’s help, engineers at the University of West Virginia in the United States are developing software that will allow balloon-type aircraft (aerobots) to explore Venus in small fleets.

This study, led by Guilherme Pereira of West Virginia University, was supported by a NASA grant of $ 100,000 under the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

“The main goal of the project is to develop software that will allow hybrid aerobots to explore the atmosphere of Venus,” explained Pereira. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to optimize the travel routes of aircraft, accurately determine the location of all aerobots in the planet’s atmosphere, and coordinate the joint work of aerobots in fleets, the scientist added.

Compiled from inputs provided by West Virginia University

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