Venus Express - the ESA mission to Venus

[ToSeek]

Venus Express is Assembled

Engineers at the European Space Agency have completed the assembly of Venus Express; the agency's first mission to the cloud enshrouded planet. If everything goes well, Venus Express will lift off on board a Soyuz-Fregat rocket on October 25, 2005 and then travel through space for 153 days before arriving at Venus. Venus Express will make a thorough analysis of Venus' atmosphere using a suite of instruments.

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

A quick mention of it here

The European Space Agency's Venus Express probe
Venus, a hell with fiery heat and an atmosphere of acid, will be visited for the first time in a decade.

plus they remark on other missions like the NASA/ESA Cassini-Huygens and NASA's deep impact

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00040005.htm

Another mention of it here

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in667813.shtml

looking at the design it seems the their Venus Express craft has been learning much from Mars Express and perhaps other designs such as past missions by ESA or NASA

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

Launch October 2005 from Baikonur
http://www.esa.int/export/esaSC/SEM2...D_index_0.html

'the first orbiter of our closest planetary neighbor in more than a decade.'

installation of the High Gain Antenna 1 during final prepartions

http://sci.esa.int/science-e-media/i...4%20screen.JPG

Venus Express will study the Venusian atmosphere and clouds in unprecedented detail and accuracy.

Instruments and Measurements

Quote

VMC
objective Ultraviolet and visible imaging
heritage
Mars Express (HRSC/SRC) and Rosetta (OSIRIS)
The VMC camera consists of one unit that houses the optics, CCD and readout electronics (CRE), digital processing unit (DPU), and power converter (POC). The camera has four separate objective lens systems....

MAG
Objective
Magnetic field measurements
Heritage
Rosetta Lander (ROMAP)
MAG, the magnetometer instrument, is designed to make measurements of magnetic field strength and direction.

VeRa
objective Radio sounding of atmosphere
heritage Rosetta (RSI)
The Venus Radio Science experiment (VeRa) will perform the following experiments:
Radio sounding of the neutral Venus atmosphere (occultation experiment) to derive vertical density, pressure and temperature profiles as a function of height, with a height resolution better than 100 metres
Radio sounding of the ionosphere of Venus (occultation experiment) to derive vertical ionospheric electron density profiles and to derive a description of the global behaviour of the ionosphere through its diurnal and seasonal variations and its dependence on solar wind conditions
Determination of the dielectric and scattering properties of the surface of Venus in specific target areas using a bistatic radar experiment
Radio sounding of the solar corona during the inferior and superior conjunctions of Venus
The radio links of the spacecraft communications system will be used for these investigations. A simultaneous and coherent dual-frequency downlink at X-band and S-band via the High Gain Antenna is required to separate the effects of the classical Doppler shift due to the motion of the spacecraft relative to the Earth and the effects caused by the propagation of the signals through the various dispersive media in the signal path.

PFS
objective . Atmospheric vertical sounding by infrared Fourier spectroscopy
heritage Mars Express (PFS)
The Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) is an infrared spectrometer optimised for atmospheric studies and covering the wavelength range 0.9 to 45 microns in two channels with a boundary at 5 microns. The spectral resolution of the instrument is better than 2 cm-1 . The instrument field of view FOV is about 1.6 degrees FWHM for the Short Wavelength (SW) channel and 2.8 degrees for the Long Wavelength (LW) channel. These fields of view correspond to a spatial resolution of seven kilometres for the SW channel and 13 kilometres for the LW channel when Venus is observed from a height of 250 kilometres (nominal height of the pericentre).
PFS is equipped with a pointing device, which enables it to receive incoming radiation from the surface of Venus or to perform calibration measurements by pointing to a reference black body of known temperature or to deep space....

ASPERA-4 .
objective
Neutral and ionised plasma analysis
Heritage
Mars Express (ASPERA-3)

VIRTIS
Objective
Spectrographic mapping of atmosphere and surface
Heritage
Rosetta (VIRTIS)
VIRTIS is an imaging spectrometer that combines three observing channels in one instrument. Two of the channels are devoted to spectral mapping (mapper optical subsystem), while the third channel is devoted to spectroscopy (high resolution optical subsystem)....

SPICAV
objective
Atmospheric spectrometry by star or Sun occultation
heritage Mars Express (SPICAM)


http://pfsweb.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/Venus.html
http://www.linmpi.mpg.de/english/pro...s-express/vmc/
http://www.rm.iasf.cnr.it/ias-home/V...us-Express.htm
Venus Express instrument link

[um3k]

I'm sure we'll see some great high-resolution images of clouds!

[Brady Yoon]

I'm sure we'll see some great high-resolution images of clouds!

[publiusr]

they'd be better off dusting off the blueprints for the UR-500 (Proton) launched Venera probes and put new rugged electronics in it.

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

I think this Euro mission might be very good, we already have some very good info from the Russian Venera landers and we know much from the USA's Spacecraft like Mariner and fantastic pics from Magellan

venus pic

http://www.solarviews.com/raw/venus/topoven2.jpg

the ESA mission might to fill in some of the missing gaps in our knowledge on Venus

I'm not sure what Rocket will launch it, but ESA have the Ariane and also have often used Russian launchers for their missions
they say it will go up from Baikonur so this looks to be a Russian launch

[Nethius]

Thanks for the info! I'll be keeping an eye on this one!

[Doodler]

they'd be better off dusting off the blueprints for the UR-500 (Proton) launched Venera probes and put new rugged electronics in it.

Maybe something with a more robust cooling system? The Veneras were great, but that's a hardcore pressure cooker its competing with. Magellan hinted at some wild geological activity in the recent past and I'd like to see something that could give us some more data.

And I'd really love a "Potential Threat to the <insert Venusian lander name> Mission" thread.

[frogesque]

Doodler wrote:

...
And I'd really love a "Potential Threat to the <insert Venusian lander name> Mission" thread.

Don't even think about it [-X Anyone doing so will be forced to read every post on the Huygens and the Pioneer Anomaly threads, then teleported to the outer reaches of GLP by way of a gravity assist round Plant Nancy and that dark matter object PX after first stopping off on balmy Mars and doing an extended exosuit study of the Hoagland faces. [-(

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

ESA Venus mission seems to be doing good

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7354
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/inde...ompetition.xml

NASA might build a lander in the future, like the Russians have done
they might try and do a repeat of scientific journey with the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity on Venus

[ToSeek]

Venus Express – ready to study Venusian atmosphere

Venus Express, the first European space probe to investigate the planet Venus has completed the development, integration and test phase in Toulouse. ... The research probe is scheduled for launch on board a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) in late October 2005. ...

For two Venusian years (500 Earth days), the probe will investigate the atmosphere of the hottest planet in terms of structure, composition and dynamics. Venus Express, carrying seven scientific instruments (spectrometers, imagers and a plasma analyser) will orbit the second planet of the solar system at an altitude between 250 and 66,000 kilometres by flying above its poles.

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

quick mention of the Venus plan here
http://www.innovations-report.de/htm...cht-45817.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1154899.cms

ESA Venus mission

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

some more information on the mission
older news items had good info

European Space Agency's first mission to Earth's nearest planetary neighbour, Venus


http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/...g?sc=VENUS-EXP
http://www.cnes.fr/html/_107_513_514_.php
http://www.spacetoday.org/Europe/EuroSats.html
http://www.venus2004.org/sinformer/n/news3213.php
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=11853
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions...=Venus_Express

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

Venus Express – ready to study Venusian atmosphere

Venus Express, the first European space probe to investigate the planet Venus has completed the development, integration and test phase in Toulouse. ... The research probe is scheduled for launch on board a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) in late October 2005. ...

For two Venusian years (500 Earth days), the probe will investigate the atmosphere of the hottest planet in terms of structure, composition and dynamics. Venus Express, carrying seven scientific instruments (spectrometers, imagers and a plasma analyser) will orbit the second planet of the solar system at an altitude between 250 and 66,000 kilometres by flying above its poles.

Should be a great mission

more photos here

http://bbs.defence.co.kr/html/bbs/da...%20Express.jpg
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=35946
http://www.astro.uio.no/ita/artikler...usexpress.html
http://alsroma.alespazio.it/news/ing/2003/163.htm

high res pics

[publiusr]

And it will be launched atop R-7--which started off as a Human-spaceflight booster Korolov sold to Stalin as an ICBM--thanks to the heavy nukes of the time.

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

They have a count down clock

90 days - 18 hrs, 9 minutes 30 secs
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/are...cfm?fareaid=64
before the Venus mission is launched

[Launch window]

ESA's Venus Express spacecraft has just completed its last phase of testing in Europe and is ready to be shipped to its launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

link
topic on venus

[Launch window]

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=37844
Everything is still moving forward on time.

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_i...6099261247S121

Scientists are putting the finishing touches to a landmark European mission to explore Venus

[parallaxicality]

Isn't the ESA planning a lander mission in the future? Would it be possible to create a lander that could last for more than an hour on Venus?

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

Isn't the ESA planning a lander mission in the future? Would it be possible to create a lander that could last for more than an hour on Venus?

It could be a Russian craft or joint Russia-ESA mission called the Venera-D spacecraft which may survive for as liitle as 2 months or up to 1 year on the surface

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESA_Perm...LFW4QWD_0.html

[hal5000]

how could a lander survive the intense heat for 2months?

[GOURDHEAD]

how could a lander survive the intense heat for 2months?

By avoiding the most intense heat by "landing" at a selected altitude in Venus' atmosphere preferable just below te H2SO4 clouds supported by baloons.

[Spacemad]

I'll be looking forward to the take off & posterior orbit insertion of the Venus Express. If it's success is only half of that of Mars Express it will have been worthwhile!

[ToSeek]

See this thread for a novel idea about how to have a long-duration Venus mission.

[Launch window]

I'll be looking forward to the take off & posterior orbit insertion of the Venus Express. If it's success is only half of that of Mars Express it will have been worthwhile!

Venus Express gets wings

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Venus_Ex...MW7X9DE_0.html

The wing was stowed and test-released again for its very final deployment on the ground, which was completed flawlessly. The next time it deploys, shortly after launch in October, it will be in space.

[Launch window]

New dish to follow the Venus Express
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8018
The European Space Agency is set to open a deep space communication antenna in Spain to help track its soon-to-be-launched craft to Venus.

The space agency will inaugurate the 35-metre-diameter radio antenna in Cebreros, Spain, on 28 September, just in time for the October launch of its Venus Express spacecraft.

ESA opened its first 35-metre antenna in New Norcia, Australia, in 2002. It has been dedicated to tracking the Mars Express spacecraft, currently in orbit around the Red Planet.

The agency is also considering building a third antenna somewhere in the Pacific time zone in North or South America in 2009.

[Manchurian Taikonaut]

Venus Express: Nearing the End of the Beginning
http://eu.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=17870
Work has also progressed in the preparation of procedures for the final countdown sequence and a full countdown rehearsal with the complete bunker team (the team that will during launch be in the underground bunker 150m from the pad) has taken place during which the final countdown sequence of about 9 hours has been practiced.

[ToSeek]

Venus Express spacecraft ready for launch

The European Space Agency is set to launch a spacecraft to Venus. It will be the first mission to the swelteringly hot and corrosive planet in 15 years.

Called Venus Express, it is scheduled to lift off aboard a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 26 October. When it arrives at Venus in April 2006, it will study the planet from a polar orbit stretching from an altitude of 250 to 60,000 kilometres.