Astrochemistry Laboratory

DAVINCI - Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI)

Class:

Flight Project

Status:

In Development

Organizations:

WEBSITE:

The DAVINCI probe will travel through the harsh Venus atmosphere, sampling the air, and returning measurements all the way to the surface. These measurements are crucial to understanding the origin of the Venus atmosphere, how it has evolved, and how and why it is different from Earth and Mars. DAVINCI’s measurements will reveal the history of water on Venus, and the chemical processes at work in the completely unexplored lower atmosphere. Before it reaches the surface, the DAVINCI probe will take the first ever images of the intriguing ridged terrain called “tesserae” to explore its origin and tectonic, volcanic, and weathering history.

Key Staff
    During its 63-minute descent, DAVINCI would collect and return measurements of Venus’ atmospheric composition.