Want to study the mysterious Venus? Robot balloon is a good choice.

Venus is particularly mysterious in the universe. The nearest planetary neighbor may look no different from the earth at first, but gradually the development trajectories of the two planets are getting different. Some spacecraft tried to study Venus from orbit, and some even landed on the surface of Venus for exploration. Even so, our understanding of Venus is still very limited. Many questions remain to be answered, such as: Are there lightning, earthquakes or active volcanoes on Venus now? How does the atmosphere on Venus move and interact with the surface? Will there be life in the clouds of Venus?

Venus's surface is dry and barren, shrouded in a suffocating dense and toxic atmosphere, and it is also scorched by hellish high temperature. Instruments placed on the surface of Venus generally do not last for several hours, but it is difficult for an orbiter to capture complete and detailed photos of the surface at all wavelengths. However, the robot balloon (aviation robot) can carry out a series of scientific research on Venus without bearing the harsh environment on the surface and being limited by the orbiter.

What is an aviation robot?

An aviation robot is a robot balloon. Some aerial robots can adjust their height by inflating or deflating, and move in the air through autonomous navigation system. The balloon diameter of the aviation robot on Venus may reach about 10 meter, and it carries more than 20 kilograms of scientific instruments.

Similar to the Vega balloon made by the Soviet Union in 1985, the aerial robot can draw the surface features, gravity and magnetic field of Venus when it swims freely in the atmosphere. Aviation robots can also be used as relay stations between ground instruments and orbiting spacecraft. At present, some ideas of the Venus mission include an aerial robot, which can be used as an independent investigation tool and supporting equipment.

Ground to air

Can a hot air balloon detect underground seismic activity?

Because of the close connection between the surface of Venus and its dense atmosphere, it is possible for hot air balloons to detect underground seismic activity. Underground seismic activity will cause vibration, which will spread upward into the air in the form of sound waves. Then, instruments carried on the balloon can measure and decode these detected vibration waves. At present, several teams are testing infrasound technology on earth to better understand how to use it on Venus.

Volcano monitor

There are many volcanoes and volcanic features on Venus. But is there still active volcanic activity on Venus today? This is one of the many unsolved mysteries of Venus. However, a robot balloon network may solve this mystery. If any volcanic activity on Venus makes a lot of noise, the noise will spread in the atmosphere in the form of sound waves. Then, three aerial robots with infrasound microphones can triangulate the signal and determine the location of volcanic activity, and finally hand it over to the orbiting satellite for research.

In the clouds

The clouds in the lower atmosphere of Venus may be the main habitat of microorganisms. The temperature of Venus clouds is between 0 and 60 degrees Celsius, and the atmospheric pressure is 0.4 to 2 times of the earth's sea level. There are aerosols and liquid water droplets in the clouds. If you carry appropriate analytical instruments, an aerial robot flying at an altitude of about 50 kilometers should be able to measure the chemical composition in the cloud and collect samples of aerosols or water droplets. When the robot moves around, it can also describe the changes of chemicals and potential life in three-dimensional space.

Friendly sky

Passing through the atmosphere of Venus can provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for field research. Spectrometers can measure the chemical composition of the atmosphere in unprecedented detail. Balloon can draw a 3D wind map of Venus, measure the atmospheric temperature and pressure, how sunlight penetrates the atmosphere and reaches the surface, and how gravity waves and planetary waves propagate in the air. All these measurements are very important for the navigation of aerial robots and the interpretation of other discoveries on Venus (whether based on balloons or other devices).