Long-duration Venus lander for seismic and atmospheric science.

An exciting and novel science mission concept called Seismic and Atmospheric Exploration of Venus (SAEVe) has been developed which uses high-temperature electronics to enable a three-order magnitude increase in expected surface life (120 Earth days) over what has been achieved to date. This enables study of long-term, variable phenomena such as the seismicity of Venus and near surface weather, near surface energy balance, and atmospheric chemical composition. SAEVe also serves as a critical pathfinder for more sophisticated landers in the future. For example, first order seismic measurements by SAEVe will allow future missions to deliver better seismometers and systems to support the yet unknown frequency and magnitude of Venus events. SAEVe is focused on science that can be realized with low data volume instruments and will most benefit from temporal operations. The entire mission architecture and operations maximize science while minimizing energy usage and physical size and mass. The entire SAEVe system including its protective entry system is estimated to be around 45 ​kg and approximately 0.6 ​m diameter. These features allow SAEVe to be relatively cost effective and be easily integrated onto a Venus orbiter mission. The technologies needed to implement SAEVe are currently in development by several funded activities. Component and system level work is ongoing under NASA's Long Lived Insitu Solar System Explorer (LLISSE) project and the HOTTech program.. LLISSE, is a NASA project to develop a small Venus lander that will operate on the surface of Venus for 60 days and measure variations in meteorology, radiance, and atmospheric chemistry. LLISSE is developing a full-function engineering model of a Venus lander that contains essentially all the core capabilities of SAEVe thus greatly reducing the technology risk to SAEVe. The SAEVe long duration Venus lander promises exciting new science and is an ideal complimentary element to many future Venus orbiter missions being proposed or planned today. • SAEVe capitalizes on 1) latest developments in high temperature electronics; 2) science objectives focused on temporal science with low data volume and 3) a novel operations approach to achieve 120 day life. • SAEVe begins to address Venus seismic activity, crust thickness / composition, meteorology, momentum exchange between the atmosphere and planet, chemical variability, energy balance, and morphology. • This baseline mission can be realized with the two landers deployed 300–800 ​km apart. The two independent cost estimates for this novel mission architecture and concept predict that SAEVe will cost $106 ​M. • A significant risk and one that SAEVe would work down for future missions is that we have little knowledge of current Venus' seismic activity. • Almost all the technology developments needed to realize SAEVe science objectives are in work, primarily under the LLISSE project but via other programs as well. • SAEVe is an exciting mission that offers the potential for addressing long-standing science questions in a unique and innovative way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]