&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Zephyr_Venus_rover_wingsail.jpg) Artist's concept of the Zephyr rover | |
| Mission type | Reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA's Glenn Research Center |
| Mission duration | 50 Earth days[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Zephyr |
| Spacecraft type | Wingsail rover |
| Manufacturer | Glenn Research Center |
| Launch mass | 1,581 kg (3,486 lb) |
| Landing mass | 220–265 kg (485–584 lb) |
| Payload mass | 23 kg (51 lb) |
| Power | ≥ 98.4 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2039 (proposed)[2] |
| Venus rover | |
Zephyr is a concept of a robotic Venus rover for a mission called Venus Landsailing Rover. This mission concept would place a rover on the surface of Venus that would be propelled by the force of the wind. The rover would be launched together with a Venus orbiter that would be a communications relay and perform remote atmospheric studies.[1]
The rover would be designed to operate on the surface of Venus for 50 Earth days, and navigate sandy plains bathed in heat and dense sulfuric acid clouds under very high atmospheric pressure. The rover can move in any direction, regardless of wind direction. Zephyr would sail up to 15 minutes per day to reach its next target,[3] where it would park using a combination of brakes and feathering the wingsail while it performs its science activities. The rover would carry a science payload of 23 kg (51 lb), including a robotic arm. The overall mission architecture aims to achieve telerobotic capability, with a 4-minute delay in radio communication.
The principal investigator is Geoffrey Landis of NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.[4] When the most critical hardware becomes available and is tested, Landis intends to propose the mission to NASA's Discovery program[5] to compete for funding and a launch intended for 2039.[2]
- ^ a b Report: NASA Will Launch a Venus Rover in 2023. Neel V. Patel, The Inverse. 29 February 2016.
- ^ a b Zephyr: A Landsailing Rover For Venus. (PDF) Geoffrey A. Landis, Steven R. Oleson, David Grantier, and the COMPASS team. NASA John Glenn Research Center. 65th International Astronautical Congress, Toronto, Canada. February 24, 2015. Report: IAC-14,A3,P,31x26111
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Wicked 2012was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ NASA's Plan To Put a Landsail Rover on Venus. Jon M. Chang, ABC News. 26 August 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Dorminey Forbes 2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page).