Optimizing Data Analysis and Aerosol Collection for Venus Atmosphere Exploration Missions
Author(s)
Nellutla, Snigdha
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Collections
Supplementary to:
Permanent Link
Abstract
The quest to find life beyond Earth has motivated researchers to explore the environmental conditions on other worlds and the limits of chemical complexity, including alternative solvents. While the Venus clouds are thought to be too water-scarce and too acidic for life as we know it, their study can inform the null hypothesis of no life, the limits of chemical complexity, and the potential for life as we don’t know it. Venusian cloud particles are thought to consist predominantly of liquid droplets consisting of concentrated sulfuric acid, H2SO4, but further insights are needed to fully understand the chemical composition of these clouds as well as the potential for organic chemistry. Early Venus missions like Venera, Vega, and Pioneer have collected valuable data about the gas composition, particle size distributions, refractive indices, and cloud density in the Venusian atmosphere. However, these bulk methods of analysis leave room for confirmation in the compositions and shapes of individual particles and may mask the presence of heterogeneous populations.
To address this, the Rocket Lab Mission to Venus, scheduled for launch no earlier than mid-2025, will deploy a ballistic entry probe equipped with the Autofluorescence Nephelometer (AFN). The AFN measures single-particle light scattering and fluorescence, providing insights into particle size, refractive index, and possible organic material in Venus’s cloud droplets. As part of the science team’s efforts for the mission, a Python-based simulation has been created to model the particle-by-particle data stream that is similar to the instrument’s output as well as other simulation outputs for additional context. The raw data from the real mission must be summarized for transmission due to bandwidth limitations of the transmitter. Comparing the multiple simulation outputs will be critical in testing various summary algorithms to ensure efficient transmission during the mission, and that the most relevant information is successfully conveyed back to Earth.
In a complementary project, the exploration of Venus’s atmospheric chemistry continues with efforts to develop an aerosol collection system for a potential sample return mission targeted for the mid 2040’s due to the limitations of in-situ analyses. The long-term goal is to develop the best design for aerosol collection systems that could be deployed in the atmosphere of Venus under realistic resource constraints. Numerous iterations of an experimental setup have been developed to better understand the factors that affect aerodynamic collection efficiency of different mesh geometries for an Earth-based passive fog collector. Current testing results imply that the most efficient mesh for aerosol collection is the random fiber arrangement.
Through a combination of short-term work on refining data simulation methods and long-term work involving experimental development, these efforts will contribute to refining our knowledge of Venusian cloud chemistry, including its potential for organics and carbon cycle processes.
Sponsor
Date
2024-12-05
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Thesis