P026-0005
The Venus Atmospheric Dynamics and Infrasound Seismology (VADIS) Instrument
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Poster
Mike Pauken1, Siddharth Krishnamoorthy1, Attila Komjathy1, James A Cutts1, Linda Del Castillo1, Daniel C Bowman2, Avery Cashion3, Kevin McGouldrick4, Colin F Wilson5, Donald J Banfield6, Paul K Byrne7, Jennifer M Jackson8, Raphael F. Garcia9, David Mimoun10, Sebastien Lebonnois11, Ari-Matti Harri12 and Maria Hieta13, (1)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, (2)Sandia National Laboratories, Geophysical Detection Programs, Albuquerque, NM, United States, (3)Sandia National Laboratories, Santa Fe, NM, United States, (4)University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (5)Univ Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, (6)Cornell University, Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Ithaca, NY, United States, (7)North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States, (8)Caltech, Seismological Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, (9)Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, DEOS/SSPA, Toulouse Cedex 04, France, (10)Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, DEOS/SSPA, Toulouse, France, (11)CNRS, Paris Cedex 16, France, (12)Finnish Meteorological Inst, Helsinki, Finland, (13)Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Abstract:
The Venus Atmospheric Dynamics and Infrasound Seismology (VADIS) instrument is being developed as a Venus balloon payload instrument suite. VADIS incorporates: an atmospheric temperature sensor; a barometer to measure absolute atmospheric pressure; a differential pressure sensor for detecting infrasound; a 3D sonic anemometer to measure wind velocity and turbulence relative to the balloon; an inertial measurement unit to filter motion-induced noise; and a centralized electronics unit for onboard data processing.
Designed to be flown on an aerial platform between 50 to 60 km altitude, circling the planet every 4 to 6 days with a one-year operational lifetime, VADIS will investigate geological activity and the properties of the lithosphere by listening for infrasound waves in the atmosphere generated by tectonic activity. Measuring infrasound generated by surface tectonic deformation would place extraordinarily valuable constraints on the current style and occurrence rate of geological activity, helping to distinguish between various hypotheses on the Venus geodynamical state (e.g., stagnant vs. mobile lid). Given the relatively ambient temperature–pressure conditions in the Venus middle atmosphere, a balloon-mounted instrument would have a much longer lifetime than currently available instruments deployed to the surface.
VADIS will also investigate the cloud-level properties of propagating waves and the convection structures of Venus’s atmosphere, by collecting in situ data on temperature, pressure, wind velocity and turbulence with high precision; these data are needed by the infrasound measurements, and will lead to a better understanding of the constituent forces that drive atmospheric dynamics on Venus.
In this presentation we will discuss the instrument science requirements and capabilities, as well as the design and development process to qualify VADIS to operate in the Venus atmospheric environment.
