Northrop Grumman Establishes Science Advisory Board for Venus Mission
"The board is a community-based, interdisciplinary science forum that the VAMP development team may interact with, ask questions of and request analyses to help resolve design and performance issues during these early stages of the mission's development," said
Ronald Polidan, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems VAMP Project Scientist. "They will be incredibly helpful in designing the vehicle for maximum science data collection."
Venus, the second planet from the sun, is often referred to as Earth's twin because of its similarity in size and mass. Although the surface of Venus is hot and hostile, its atmosphere at 50 kilometers is Earth-like and its clouds hold the key to the difference. Understanding Venus' evolutionary path may shed light on Earth's evolution and the origin of life.
VAMP is a large and light, inflatable/deployable vehicle that would cruise through Venus's clouds at altitudes ranging from 52 kilometers to 68 kilometers, using solar-powered propellers to maneuver on Venus and while gathering science data. It is being designed to be inflated and deployed on orbit and "float" like a leaf into Venus's atmosphere, where it could operate for more than year.
The concept brings together
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