VEXAG#14MeetingSummary
Tuesday‐Thursday,November29–December1,2016
JamesWebbAuditorium,NASAHeadquarters
EightymembersoftheVenuscommunityparticipatedinVEXAGMeeting#14,heldatNASA
Headquarters,Washington,DConNovember29–December1,2016.BobGrimm,VEXAG
Chair,welcomedtheattendeesandnotedthathewasenthusiasticabouttheopportunities
forVenusexplorationviathetwoVenusDiscoveryPhase‐Astudies,theupcomingNew
FrontiersAnnouncement,theopportunitiesprovidedbySmallSatsandCubeSats,our
internationalcollaborationswithAkatsuki,Europe’sM5Missioncall,andtheRussian
Venera‐Dmissionsaswellastheupcomingfocusonhigh‐temperatureelectronicsviathe
HOTTechcall.BobalsonotedthatVEXAG’snewslogan“UnveilVenus:WhyisEarth’ssister
planetsodifferent?”isnowoutthereonsocialmedia.
Atthispointintheproceeding,NASAdistributedCertificatesofAppreciationto:
 EllenStofaninrecognitionofherextraordinarysupporttotheVEXAGScience
CommunityandVEXAG,
 LoriGlazeforhersteadfastdedicationtotheexplorationofVenusviaher
outstandingleadershipasVEXAGChair–2011–2015,and
 TommyThompsonforhissteadfastsupportofVenusscienceandexplorationas
VEXAGExecutiveSecretary.
VEXAGdistributedCertificatesofAppreciationto:
 RobertHerrickforhisoutstandingleadershipoftheVEXAGGoalsandExploration
SitesFocusGroup,2013–2016,
 SanjayLimayeforhisofhisoutstandingleadershipoftheVEXAGInternational
VenusExplorationWorkingGroup,2012–2016,and
 LynnaeQuickforheroutstandingleadershipoftheVEXAG’sEarlyCareerScholars
OutreachFocusGroup.
GroupPhotoVEXAGMeeting#14–Thursday,December1,2016
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 1
EllenStofan,whoiscompletingherthree‐yeartermasSMDChiefScientist,provideda
reportonherperspectivesonVenusExploration.ShenotedthatNASA’sPlanetaryScience
isverystrong.ThenewAssociateAdministratorforSMDisThomasZurbuchen,whomEllen
characterizedasoneofthefewpeopleatNASAHeadquarters,wholikeherselfhastowrite
competitiveproposals.EllennotedthatVenusiantectonics,volcanology,andvolatilesare
keytoCompetitivePlanetologyandthatthefundamentalquestionsare:
 DidVenushaveaclimatefavorableforhabitability?,
 DidVenushaveanocean?,and
 WhatarethesurfacerocksonVenus?,
andthatthereisaneedtoacquirenewdatatoanswerthesequestions.
IntheQuestionandAnswersessionitwasnotedthat:
 WeneedtokeepinmindthatVenuscanbethoughtofasanoceanworldaswellas
anExoplanet,and
 Venusmightharborahabitableworldinitsatmosphere.
NASAReports
JimGreen(NASAHeadquarters)notedthatasusual,it’sapleasuretobeatour
VEXAGMeeting.Heprovidedawell‐receivedstatusreportonactivitiesassociatedwith
NASA’sPlanetaryScienceDivision(PSD),bydiscussingrecentandnear‐termNASA
missions,theDiscoveryProgram,therecentlycompleted2016SeniorReview,theNational
AcademyofSciencesstudiesandschedules,internationalVenusefforts,thePlanetary
ScienceVision2050Workshop,aswellastheNASAPSDResponsetothe2015VEXAG
findings.Forrecentandnear‐termNASAmissions,Jimnoted:“2016hasbeenafantastic
yearwithsuccessfulorbitinsertionsofJunoatJupiterandofESA’sTraceCaseOrbiter
(TGO)atMars,thesuccessfullaunchofOSIRIS‐RExtoasteroidBennu,andtheESA’sRosetta
cometmissionsuccess.ThisisthegoldenageforPlanetaryScience”.
FortheDiscoveryMissions,Jimnoted“ThisisoneofthelynchpinsofPlanetaryScience”
withthe11successfulmissionstodateandtwonear‐termitems:ESA/MercurySurface:
Strofioinstrumentin2017andtheMarsInSightmissionin2018.FortheDiscoveryMission
selections2014,therearefivePhase‐Amissionstudies,withtheVenusmissionsbeing:

DAVINCI:DeepAtmosphereVenusInvestigationsofNoblegases,Chemistry,and
ImagingwithPILoriGlaze,GSFC,and

VERITAS:VenusEmissivity,RadioScience,InSAR,Topography,AndSpectroscopy
withPISuzanneSmrekar,JPL.
AselectionisexpectedinDecember2016andanannouncementinJanuary2017.
Forthe2016PlanetaryMissionSeniorReview(PMSR),Jimnoted“ThePanelunanimously
believesthatallmissionsshouldbeapprovedforextension”.Asaresult,allninecurrent
planetarymissionshavebeendirectedtocontinueoperationsthroughFY18(NewHorizons
through2021),subjecttoavailabilityofappropriatedfundsandtotheoutcomeofthe
annualbudgetprocess.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 2
ForNationalAcademySciencesstudiesandschedules,Jimnoted:
•
The1stPlanetaryDecadalSurveywasconductedin2002‐2012,
•
The2ndPlanetaryDecadalSurveywasconductedin2013‐2022,
•
ACubeSatReviewwascompletedinJune2016,
•
AnExtendedMissionsReviewwascompletedSept2016,
•
AR&ARestructuringReviewwasinitiatedinAugust2015withitsReportdueto
NASADecember2016,
•
AlargeStrategicNASAScienceMissionsStudywastaskedinDecember2015witha
ReportduetoNASAAugust2017,
•
TheMid‐termevaluationofthePlanetaryDecadalSurvey,whichisrequiredbylaw,
wasinitiatedinAugust2016withaReportexpectedinDecember2017,
•
AnewStudyonSampleAnalysisFutureInvestmentStrategywasinitiatedin
September2016,and
•
The3rdPlanetaryDecadalSurveyfor2023‐2032willbetaskedbeforeOctober2019
withareporttoNASAin2022.
Asasignificantnumberofextraterrestrialsamplesareexpectedinthenextdecade,thenew
StudyonSampleAnalysisFutureInvestmentStrategywillbeamulti‐nationaleffort
involvingUnitedKingdom,France,Germany,andJapan.Thisstudywillemphasizeneeded
facilitiesandinstrumentationbyassessing:
•
Whatlaboratoryanalyticalcapabilitiesarerequiredtosupportanalysisand
curationofexistingandfutureextraterrestrialsamples?,
•
InternationalVenusefforts,
•
WhetherthecurrentsamplelaboratoriesandNASA’sinvestmentstrategymeetthe
analyticalrequirementsofcurrentandfuturedecadalplanetarymissions?,and
•
CanNASAensurethatthesciencecommunitystaysabreastofevolvingtechniques
inordertobeattheforefrontofextraterrestrialsampleanalysis?
ForInternationalVenusEfforts,JimnotedthattheJAXA/AkatsukiParticipatingScience
Programhasbeenasuccess.Also,aBilateralMeetingofNASA’sandRussianSpaceAgency’s
representativesinMoscowlastOctoberhadacomprehensiveVenera‐DSDTpresentation
onpossiblemissionscenarios.AreportisexpectedbyendofJanuary2017.ThisJointSDT
willbeextendedforanothertwoyearswithanewchargeforamorefocusedapproach.Key
totheseVenera‐DeffortswillbetheupcomingVenusSciencePrioritiesforModelingand
ExperimentsConferenceattheGlennResearchCenterinMay2017whereinternational
participationisencouraged.ConferenceresultswillbediscussedwithRussianSpace
Agencylaterin2017.
JimprovidedanintroductiontothePlanetaryScienceVision2050Workshopthatwillbe
heldatNASAHeadquartersonMonday–Wednesday,February27–March1,2017.The
Workshop’sgoalistodevelopacompelling,35‐yearsciencevisionforthe2020’s,2030’s,
and2040’susingthenotionaltechnologiesandmissionsofthePlanetaryScienceDecadal
Surveyasthestartingpoint.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 3
Participationinthisworkshopwillbespace‐limitedandrequiressubmissionofanabstract.
Alloftheabstracts,whichwillbepostedontheworkshopwebsite,andthenusedinthe
developmentoftheworkshopreport.Oralsessionswillbelive‐streamedsothatmembers
ofthecommunityunabletoattendtheworkshopcanparticipate.Theworkshopprogram
willincludefivehalf‐daysessionswithnoparallelsessions,aswellastwopostersessions
onMondayandTuesdayevening.PDFsofposterpresentationswillbepostedonthe
workshopwebsite.Thehalf‐daysessionswillhaveaninvitedplenarytalk,followedbya
seriesofinvitedandcontributedoralpresentations,andapaneldiscussion.Afternoon
sessionswillhavebriefone‐slideintroductionstotheeveningposters.
JimprovidedastatusupdatetoVeGASO(VenusGravityAssistScienceOpportunities)
notingthataVeGASOFlybyVenusScienceWorkingGroup,wasjointlysetupbyNASA
SMD’sHeliophysicsandPlanetaryDivisionsin2015inordertoinvestigateVenusfly‐by
scienceopportunitiesusingtheSolarProbePlus,SolarOrbiterandBepiColombomissions.
Thesemissionsprovideanopportunitytomakeimportantobservationsaboutthe
ionosphereandinducedmagnetosphereaswellastheatmosphere,surface,andinterior
science.AbriefingtothenewHeliophysicsDivisiondirectorwillinitiatediscussionsonnext
steps.
JimdiscussedthePlanetaryScienceDeepSpaceSmallSatStudies,notingthattherewere
102Step‐2submissions,withexpectationof6‐15awardsforupto$100Mmissionconcepts.
Jim“wasreallydelightedwiththenumberofsubmissions”.Twoimmediateeventsarethat
the2016Discoveryselectionstobeannouncedsoon,andthattheNewFrontiers‐4AOwill
bereleasedinearly2017.
CurtNieburgaveadetailedreportonNewFrontiersProgrambyreviewingthestatusof
Homesteadercallandselections,theNewHorizons(NF‐2)andJuno(NF‐3)missions,and
NewFrontiers‐4AOCall.ForHomesteadercall,NASA’sPlanetaryScienceDivisionissued
theHomesteaderNRAinordertopursuepossibletechnologiesthatcouldbeincludedas
partoffutureNewFrontiersmissions.Eightoutof84proposalswereselectedfornear‐
termtechnologydevelopment.OneofselectedproposalsisaVenusEntryProbePrototype,
ledbyLoriGlaze,GoddardSpaceFlightCenter.Inparallel,aNewFrontiersDataAnalysis
ProgramwasinitiatedviaaROSES2016call.AlthoughcurrentlyfocusedonNewHorizons
thisyear,itwillbeexpandedtocoverotherNewFrontiersmissionsastheirdataare
archivedinthePDS.
ForthecurrentNewFrontiersMissions,Curtnotedthat:
 NewHorizons–downlinkofdatafor2014fly‐bywascompletedinOctober,
 JunoisnowinJupiterorbit,and
 OSIRIS‐RExwassuccessfullylaunchedonSept.8,2016witharrivalattheasteroid
Bennuin2018,andsamplereturntoEarthin2023
FortheNewFrontiers‐4AOCall,Curtnotedthat:
 ThesewillbePImanagedmissionswithacostcapof$850MforPhasesA‐D,
 TheDraftAOwasreleasedinAugust2016,with46repliesfromthecommunity,
 A4thCommunityAnnouncementwithsomeinformationrequestedintheDraftAO
replieswasreleasedearlierinNovember,
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 4

TheFinalAOwasreleasedinaweekafterthisVEXAGmeetingwithaduedateof
April28,2017.Technologyincentiveswillbe$10MforNEXT(ionpropulsion)and
$20MforHEEET(heatshield).Therewillbeincreasedscrutinyofthetraceabilityof
proposedscienceobjectivestotheDecadalSurvey.Specificallythereisaneedfora
discussionofhowproposedmeasurementswilltracetoaspecificscienceobjective
ortestaparticularhypothesis,and
 SelectionofcompletivePhase‐AStudies(at$4Meach)iscurrentlyscheduledfor
November2017withPhase‐AStudyReportsdueinOctober2018,andan
announcementofmissionselectioninMay2019.
IntheQuestionandAnswercloseoutofthisreport,CurtnotedthatheexpectstheNew
Frontierscadencetocontinueat5‐yearintervals.
JonathanRallprovidedastatusreportonPlanetaryScienceR&A.Overallselectionrateis
21%withfundingprovidedin60to90days.JonathandescribedaKeywordAnalysisofthe
R&AprogrambasedonTypeofTask,Object(s)ofStudy,andScienceDiscipline.This
analysisincludesR&Aawards,DataAnalysisPrograms,aswellasParticipatingScientist
andGuestInvestigatorPrograms.Excludedfromthisanalysisweresupportactivitiesand
facilitiessuchastheRPIFs,AVGR,GEER,PAL,RELAB,etc).
MaxBernsteinsupplementedthisdiscussionofPlanetaryScienceR&Awithadiscussionof
ROSESSelectionData.Planetaryproposalselectionratehasbeenbetween21‐23%since
2010,whilethenumberofproposalssubmittedhasgoneupanddownfrom1250to1600
inthesametimeframe.Thedownwardtrendinplanetaryproposalselectionhasleveledoff.
JonathanRallalsoprovidedareportonCharteringofSMDDivisionCommitteesby
notingthatNASAisproposingtoCongressthatthefour(EarthSciences,PlanetarySciences,
AstrophysicsandHeliophysics)subcommitteesoftheNACScienceCommitteeassociated
withSMDdivisionsbecomestand‐aloneFederalAdvisoryCommitteeAct(FACA)
committees.ThesenewFACACommitteeswillprovidetheirrespectiveDivisionDirector
withinSMDwiththeadvicethatwillbeacteduponattherightorganizationallevel.Many
community‐basedstudies,suchasSeniorReviews,ScienceandTechnologyDefinition
Teamswill,inturn,haveacharteredFederalAdvisoryCommitteetoreportto.Thesenew
FACACommitteeswillhaveCharters(ratherthanTermsofReference)andMembership
Balanceplans.AsofSeptember1st,ChartersandMembershipBalancePlanswereinreview
bytheGeneralServicesAdministration(GSA).Remainingstepsare:

AFederalRegister15‐dayPublicationannouncingtheplannedestablishmentof
thesenewFACAAdvisoryCommittees,

ChartersandMembershipBalancePlanssignedoffbytheNASAAdministrator,and

FilingwithCongress.
CarolynMercerfillinginforMikeSeablomgaveapresentationonPlanetaryCubeSats
andthenfollowedwithherownpresentationonthePlanetarySmallSatROSEScall.
Carolynnotedthat12assignedCubeSatsciencemissionsareoneelementofabalanced
approachtoachievingSMDScience.RecentSMD/STMDStudieshavefocusedon
accomplishingPlanetaryDecadalScienceGoalsandObjectiveswithspacecraftthatrange
fromCubeSatsandSmallSatsuptotheFlagshipmissions.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 5
Thereareanumberofchallenges,suchasplatformandinstrumenttechnologygaps,which
arebeingaddressed.ThesewereaddressedbyaSMD‐ledNRCstudyonAchievingScience
GoalsThoughCubeSats,andaNASAinternalSMDSmallEarthandHeliophysicsSatellite
Study.
AJointSMD/STMDStudyofNewOpportunitiesforLow‐CostScienceInstruments,
Platforms,andMissionArchitectureswasinitiatedinFebruary2015withgoalsof:

Investigatingcurrentparadigmshiftsintheminiaturizationofscienceinstruments
andsmallsatelliteplatformdisruptivetechnologies,

Determiningthepotentialfornovelapproachesthatcouldbreakthecycleof“larger
butfewer”expensivemissions,

IdentifyingkeySMDsciencemeasurementrequirementsthatcouldbesatisfied
throughsuchparadigms,and

Identifyingtechnologygapsthatcouldbeaddressedthroughsolicitationssuchthat
barrierstoalternativepathsareremoved.
Specifically,SMDisnowrequestinginputfromtheNASAAssessmentGroups(AGs)tohelp
definethenotionalrequirementsforsmallspacecraftviaasurveythataddressesNASA
relevance,natureoftheinvestigation,targets,instruments,thepossiblenovelandunique
contributions,andchallenges.
CarolyndescribedanewROSESSolicitationforPlanetaryScienceDeepSpaceSmallSat
Studies,wherefundingwillbeprovidedforformalmissionconceptstudies.Approximately
$3Mwillbeavailableforsixtofifteen6‐monthstudies.TheSMDgoalsaretoacquire
detailedconceptstudiesfordeepspacePlanetarySciencemissionsthatcanbe
accomplishedwithsmallspacecraft,andtostimulatecreativityinthecommunityfor
scienceenabledbysmall,low‐cost($10M‐$100M)deepspacemissions.Proposalsshould
beforstate‐of‐the‐artimplementationsthataddressNASA’sPlanetaryScienceDivision
goals.Some120proposalswerereceivedinmid‐November,justbeforethisVEXAG
meeting.MissiondestinationsfortheseproposedstudiesweretheMoon,Mars,Venus,
asteroids,comets,andtheouterplanets.Upto16oftheseproposalsareexpectedtobe
selected.
AdrianaOcampoprovidedanupdateontheHotOperatingTechnologies(HOTTech)
Program.Thisprogramsupportsadvanceddevelopmentoftechnologiesforrobotic
explorationinhigh‐temperatureregimes,suchastheVenusiansurface,Mercuryandthe
GasGiants.ThiswasaROSESsolicitationinAugust.29proposalswerereceived.Selections
weretobeannouncedinDecember,aboutamonthafterthisVEXAGMeeting.
NewFrontierandFlagshipMissionForums
MarthaGilmorechairedaNewFrontiers(NF)Forum.Shesetthestagebynotingthatthe
NFProgramwasestablishedatrecommendationof2002Decadaltohelpaddress12
fundamentalscientificquestionswitharecommendedcadenceofevery2‐3years.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 6
Forvariousreasons,theactualNFcadencewas2years,6years,8years.Basedon2012
DecadalSurvey,theNFmissionsbeingsolicitedinthe2017callare:
 ASaturnprobe,
 ALunarSouthPoleAitkenBasinSampleReturn,
 AVenuslander,
 ATrojanAsteroidTourandRendezvousProbe,aswellas
 OceansWorld,whichwasinsertedafter2012DecadalSurvey.
VenusNFgoalsaresupportedbythe2014VEXAGreports‐theGoalsObjectivesand
Investigations,theRoadmapforVenusExploration,andtheVenusTechnologyPlan.The
VenusTechnologyPlanidentifiescriticaltechnologiesneededforaVenusNFmission.
LarryEspositoaugmentedthisNFdiscussionbydescribingVISAGE:VenusInSitu
AtmosphericandGeochemicalExplorer.Larrynotedthatthismissionwouldaddressa
subsetofobjectivesfromtheDecadalsurveythatcanbeaccomplishedwithinthecostcap.
Thiswouldbeimplementedviaacarrierandalander.Keyquestionsthatwillbeaddressed
byVISAGEare:
 Whatisthenature(chemicalandmineralcomposition)oftheVenusiansurfaceand
howdiditgetthatway?
 Whatdonoblegasesinatmospheretellusaboutitshistory?
 Isthereevidenceofpasthydrologicalcycles?
 Arethereanyindicationsoflifeorhabitability?
 Howdorocks/mineralsontheplainsconstrainVenusinterior,surfaceandsurface‐
atmosphereinteractions?
BobGrimmchairedaVenusFlagshipForum.Hesetthestagebynotingthatthe2009
VenusFlagshipMissionStudywasanimportantresourceas:
 Itsgoalsagreewiththe2014VEXAGGoals,Objectives,Investigations2014,
 IthadanInSAROrbiter
 Ithadatwoentrysystems,alanderandaVEGA‐styleballoon.
Itsgoalswheretoaddressthefollowingquestions:
 WhatdoestheVenusgreenhouseteachusaboutclimatechange?,
 HowactiveisVenus?,and
 Whenandwheredidthewatergo?,and
Ithadacostof$2.7‐3.8B,FY’09.
Duringtherun‐uptothe2012DecadalSurvey,aVenusClimateMission2010wasdesigned
toaddressthegoalsof:
 CharacterizingCO2greenhouse,
 Characterizingdynamicsandvariabilityofsuper‐rotation,
 Measuringsurface/loweratmosphereexchange,and
 SearchingforevidenceofclimatechangeonVenus
Ithadacostof$1.1‐1.6B,FY12.
The2013DecadalSurveyrecommendationswereeitherEnceladusorVenusflagship
missioninthelowestpriorityofalloftherecommendedFlagshipMissions.Thekey
questioniswhetherVEXAGinthenextdecadecontinuestoadvocateforaFlagshipMission
orshifttheemphasistosmallermissionsand/orinternationalcollaboration?
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 7
CommentsintheQ&Awere:
 Weneedtostartaconversationnow,
 WeneedtofocusonFlagshipmissionsafterNewFrontiers‐4,
 TheVenusClimateMission(VCM)althoughitwasconceivedinashorttimewith
heritageinstruments,tobecost‐effective,wasagoodstartatapareddownversion
oftheVenusReferenceMission,
 CouldaradaraddedtoVCM?,
 WeneedtoexploreVenusasanEarth‐likeplanetandasEarth’snearestexoplanet,
 TheDiscoveryandNewFrontiersselections,aswellasVenera‐DandEnvisionwill
bearuponwhatwedo,and
 ThenextDecadalSurveywillbe“anewballgame”,andweneedtokeepVenus“on
thefrontburner”.
MissionReports
MasatoNakamuraprovidedastatusreportonJapan’sAkatsuki(PlanetC)mission.
VenusorbitinsertionwassuccessfullyaccomplishedonDecember7,2015andfirst‐light
imageswereobtainedonDecember7‐11,2015.Recentnotabledatessincethenare:

Orbitalperiodreductionto10.5dayswithanapocenteraltitudeof0.36millionkm
onDecember20,2015,

StartofregularobservationsonApril1,2016,

Orbitadjustmenttoaperiodof10.8dayswithapocenteraltitude:0.37millionkm
onApril4,2016,

SuperiorconjunctionwithsolarcoronaobservationscenteredonJune7,2016,and

OneVenusyearinorbitcompletedonJuly19,2016.
MasatoshowedanumberofinterestingrecentAkatsukiscienceresultsincluding:

Thefirst‐lightimagesinorbitfromthetheultravioletimager(UVI),

Surfaceimagesthroughcloudswiththe1μmIRcamera(IR1),

Daysideimagesforaltimetrywiththe2μmIRcamera(IR2),

Cloudtracking“Dayvs.night”comparisons,

Fine‐resolutionlimbimageswiththe2μmIRcamera(IR2),

Bow‐shapedstationarythermalfeatureswiththelong‐waveinfraredcamera(LIR),

VerticalscansofatmospherefromRadioScienceoccultations,and

PreliminarylightningobservationswiththeLightningandAirglowCamera(LAC).
MasatoconcludedbynotingthatAkatsukiwassuccessfullyinsertedinVenusorbit,andon‐
boardscienceinstrumentsareacquiringhigh‐qualityVenusdatasincethen.Althoughthe
orbitismoreelongatedthanoriginallyenvisioned,thebenefitisbeingintheequatorial
planetostudyclouddynamics.Thescienceteamexpectstoachieveallsuccesscriteriaat
theendofMarch2018,whenthenominalmissionperiodends.
LudmilaZasovaprovidedastatusreportoftheJointRussian‐U.S.Venera‐DScience
DefinitionTeam(SDT)aka"TogethertoVenus".Thisefforthasbeeninplaceforseveral
yearswithafirstreportexpectedinearly2017.GoalsoftheVenera‐DSDTareto:
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 8
•
Identify,prioritizeanddevelopsciencegoals,investigations,andmeasurements
consistentwiththecurrentVenera‐Dconcept,
•
AssesstheVenera‐Dmissionarchitectureincludingpossiblemodularoptions(e.g.,
subsystems)forcollaborationopportunitiesandrequiredinstrumentation
capabilities.Assesstechnologyreadinessleveltoimplementthemissionconcept
andidentifyareasforwhichdevelopmentisrequired,
•
Identifymissioncomponents(missionelements/subsystems/instruments)thatbest
lendthemselvestopotentialinternationalcollaboration,
•
OutlineamaturationscheduleneededtosupporttheVenera‐Dmissionforlaunches
inthepost‐2025timeframe,
•
Assesstheprecursorobservationsandinstrumentationvalidationexperiments
neededtoenableorenhancetheVenera‐Dmission(e.g.,instrumenttestingina
chamberthatemulatesthechemistry,pressuresandtemperaturesfoundinthe
atmosphereoratthesurfaceofVenus),and
•
EvaluatehowVenera‐DwouldadvancethescientificunderstandingofVenusand
feedforwardtofuturemissionswiththeultimategoalofsamplereturn.
ThebaselinemissionconceptconsistsofanOrbiterwithapolar24‐hourorbitandalifetime
greaterthan3yearsandanupdatedVEGA‐typeLanderwithalifetimeof2+hoursonthe
surface.Othercomponentsdiscussedaspotentialaugmentationsincludeafree‐flyingaerial
platform,balloons,asub‐satellite,andsmalllong‐livedsurfacestations.
ScienceprioritiesfortheOrbiterare:

Studyingofthedynamicsandnatureofsuper‐rotation,radiativebalanceandnature
ofthegreenhouseeffect,

Characterizingthethermalstructureoftheatmosphere,winds,thermaltidesand
solarlockedstructures,

Measuringthecompositionoftheatmosphere,studytheclouds,theirstructure,
composition,microphysics,UV‐absorberandchemistry,and

Investigatingtheupperatmosphere,ionosphere,electricalactivity,magnetosphere,
andtheescaperate.
ScienceprioritiesfortheLanderare:

Performingchemicalanalysisofthesurfacematerialandstudyingtheelemental
composition,includingradiogenicelements,

Studyingofinteractionbetweenthesurfaceandatmosphere,

Studyingthestructureandchemicalcompositionoftheatmospheredowntothe
surface,includingabundancesandisotopicratiosofthetraceandnoblegases,

Performingdirectchemicalanalysisofthecloudaerosols,

Characterizingthegeologyoflocallandformsatdifferentscales,

Searchingforvolcanicandseismicactivity,and

Searchingforlightning.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 9
Thecurrentmissionscenariois:

Amissionlaunchin2026,2027usingtheAngara‐A5rocketwithaKVTKorBriz
upperstagewithaspacecraftmassonatrajectorytoVenusof6500kg,

Ascientificpayloadmass,includingsubsystemsandstructuralelementsof1650kg,
plus100kgontheLander,and

AnOrbiter‐EarthcommunicationOrbiter.
Anaerialplatformcouldbeimplementedifitsfoldedsizeis3x6m,althoughitwould
requirefurtherdevelopmentoftherocket,itsupperstageandthefairing.
ColinWilsondescribedaVenusLong‐LifeSurfacePlatform,aconceptdevelopedin
responsetoa2016ESACallforNewScientificIdeasforfuture>400M€missions.This
wouldaddressthequestionofwhetherVenusisgeologicallyactiveby:

Establishingthelevelandstyleofseismicactivity,

Constraininginteriorstructure,

DeterminingVenus’spinrateandaxisvariations,

Searchingforseismicsignsofvolcanismandtectonics,and
 Measuringinteriorheatfluxesandchangesinvolcanogenicgases.
ThisSurfacePlatformisdesignedforalifetimeofover100Earthdaysandwouldbe
equippedwithacorepayloadofaseismometer,aswellasp,T,wsensorstoquantify
atmosphericinfluenceontheseismometerandonRadioScience.Thesecoremeasurements
couldbesupplementedwithaheatfluxsensor,animagesensor,SiCgassensors,and
electricfieldsensors(tomeasureconductivityandDCelectricfields).Preliminaryworkwill
focusoncorepayloadtokeepdesignreferencemissionsimple.Powerwouldbe1or2units,
eitherbatteryor(preferably)anRTG.TheCPUwouldbeimplementedinSiCwithonlya
fewkbitsofonboardmemory,assumingADCofallsensorchannelswithlivetransmissions
tospace.Optionsformissionscenariosareeitherastand‐aloneentryprobe,ordeliveryto
surfacebyanentryprobe.Deliverybyanentryprobewouldprovidedescent
measurementsincludingchemicalprofiles,andlandingsiteimagery.Aproposalforthis
VenusLong‐LifeSurfacePlatformwassubmittedtoESAinSeptember,withadecision
expectedsoon.
RichardGhailprovidedastatusreportontheEnVisionMissionconcept,anESAM5
Proposal.RichardnotedthatthesciencecaseforEnVisionwasupdatedtomakeitmore
pertinenttowherewearetoday.Thesenewgoalsareto:
 Determinethelevelandnatureofcurrentgeologicalactivity,
 DeterminethegeologicaleventsthatgeneratedthewiderangeofobservedVenus’
surfacefeatures,
 AssesswhetherVenusoncehadoceansorwashospitableforlife,and
 Understandtheorganizinggeodynamicframeworkthatcontrolsthereleaseof
internalheatoverthehistoryoftheplanet.
KeychallengesanddesigndriversarethatVenusisshroudedinpermanentclouds,witha
90barsurfacepressure.The750°KVenusatmosphereisprohibitiveforsurfaceroversand
theatmosphereisopaquetoradiowavelengthsshorterthanabout3.5cm.However,other
aspectsoftheatmospherearebenignasthetotalelectroncountislessthan1TeV,theIR
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 10
brightnesstemperatureisabout50KcoolerthanEarth,andorbitsaredrag‐freeabove220
kmaltitude.OnekeytoimplementingEnVisionisadaptingtheUnitedKingdom’ssmall
NovaSAR,alow‐costSARearth‐orbitingsatellite,toVenus.AnauxiliarySubsurfaceRadar
Sounderwouldacquireinformationontheshallowsubsurfacewiththegoalsof:
 Characterizingthedifferentstratigraphicandstructuralpatternsofthesubsurface,
 Studyingthevolcanismphenomenaandtheirimpactonthegeologicalevolutionof
theVenusiantopography,
 Detectingofsubsurfacestructuresnotdirectlylinkedwithsurface,
 Analysingthematerialsinthesurfaceandsubsurfaceandtheirmetamorphism
linkedtotheburialprocess,
 Conductingsynergisticanalysistostudytheevolutionoftheplanetusingthedata
providedbySARandradarsoundersensors,and
 Measuringthetotalelectroncontentoftheionosphere.
These2radarswouldbecomplementedwiththreeauxiliaryIRspectrometers:
 AVEM‐HspectrometerforprobingnearIRnight‐sidewindowswithhighspectral
resolution,
 AVEM‐UVspectrometerthatwillmapmesosphericSO2onthedayside,and
 AVEM‐MglobalIRmapper.
Inaddition,trackingandradiosciencewouldenableonetodistinguishbetweendifferent
modelsofinternalstructure.
ThecurrentEnVisiondesignisa2‐mcubicplatformwithadrymassof950kg,plannedfor
launchbyAriane6.2rocketinOctober2029.Afterorbitinsertion,200daysofaerobraking
wouldachievecircularpolarorbitat259 kmaltitude.Operatingmodesduringeach24‐hour
periodwouldbe:
 Communicationsmode:5½hourHGAEarth‐pointed,solararrayorientedtowards
theSun,
 VenSARmode:Lessthan15minutes,nadirfacepointedtowardsVenus,rolledbyup
to±35°aroundthespacecraftvelocityvector(x‐axis),and
 Nightsidesciencemode:45‐minutenadirfacepointedtowardsVenus.
Telemetrywouldbesupportedbyafixed3‐m,65WRF,Ka‐bandhigh‐gainantennafora
minimumlinkrateof4Mbps.
HåkanSvedhemprovidedareportontheVenusExpressDataArchive.TheVenus
ExpressDataArchiveisanelementofESA’sPlanetaryScienceArchive(PSA),which
providestheservicestothesciencecommunityinPDS‐compliantformatsof:
 AFTPrepositorywithalleightoftheESAplanetarymissiondatasets,
 Searchinterfaces(viametadataandmaps),
 Documentationsandancillarydatasets,
 Workshopsandtraining,and
 Supportinthecreationofarchive‐compliantdatasets.
VenusExpressdatavolumesintheESA’sPlanetaryScienceArchiveare:
 1.8TbittotalforASPERA‐4(IonandElectrons),
 0.5TbittotalforMAG(Magnetometer),
 0.5TbittotalforSPICAV(imagingSpectrometer),
 0.05TbittotalforSPICAV‐SOIR(IRSolarOcculrations),
 0.002TbittotalforVeRA(RadioScience),
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 11
 5.1TbittotalforVIRTIS(ImagingSpectrometer),and
 2.9TbittotalforVMC(VenusMappingCamera).
TotaldataforVenusExpressis11Tbit,about¼ofPSAtotalof42Tbit.
OpenMicrophonePresentations
JörnHelbertinhisopenmicrophonepresentationonHighTemperatureNIREmissivity
MeasurementsofVenusAnalogsnotedthathishightemperatureriginGermanythathe
describedduringVEXAG13meetingisnowupandrunning.Theemissivitiesofseveral
Venusanalogssuchashematite,oxidizedandfreshbasaltshavenowbeenmeasuredfor
wavelengthsof0.8to1.2μ.OxidizedbasaltshaveflatspectrawhilefreshandLowSibasalts
havespectrathatshowanincreaseofemissivitywithwavelength.
ColinWilsoninhisopenmicrophonepresentationonaProposedVenusUHFDataRelay
StandardnotedthattheVenuscommunityshouldconsiderforminganInternational
WorkingGroupforVenusDataRelay.AtMars,thereisalreadyanagreedUHFprotocolfor
datarelayfromlanders/rovers.EstablishingthisatVenuswouldbebeneficialforallinsitu
missions,inparticularlong‐livedones.Thiswouldreduceneedtocarryone’sowndata
relayorbiter,increasedatareturnfrominsitumissionsandfromCubeSats/SmallSats,and
helpinmeasuringthepositionandvelocityofinsituassets.RequirementsforaVenusdata
relaystandardwouldsupportof1‐and2‐waycommunication,atfrequencieswherethe
atmosphereislargelytransparent(e.g.UHForS‐band).Asabonus,apassivelisteningmode
couldbeimplementedtodetectradiofrequencyemissionsfromlightning.
ColinWilsoninhisopenmicrophonepresentationontheEuropeanVenus360Visual
RealityFilmnotedthatEuroVenusOutreachfilmsarenowpostedonthewebat
www.eurovenus.eu6x,wherethereareseveral10‐minuteepisodesthatdiscusswinds,
temperature,volcanoes(SO2emissions),Venustransitsacrossthesolardisk,andthefuture
ofVenusexploration.Thefulldocumentary,whichrunsforabout52minutes,hasseveral
VenusExpresslegacysessionvideos.A360°virtualrealityfilmisahitwithschoolchildren.
AllofthisisbeingproducedbyWhiteFoxPictures(Lyon)withEU‐funding.
PosterPresentations
TheposterpresentationsonTuesdayafternoonwere:
 HighTemperatureDiamondElectronicsforActuatorandSensorApplications,Brianna
Eller,etal.,
 HowwelldoweknowVenus’GravityField?ARetrospective,PeterJames,
 UltravioletAbsorbersonVenus–Bacteria?,SanjayLimaye,
 ConstraintsonLithosphericRheologyandVolatileContentfromObservationsof
CoronaeonVenus–JosephO’Rourke,
 AutomatonRoverforExtremeEnvironments(AREE)‐JonathanSauder,etal.,and
 VenusHeatFlowInstrument–SueSmrekar.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 12
BriannaEllerinherposteronHighTemperatureDiamondElectronicsforActuator
andSensorApplications,notedthat:
 Diamondisanidealsemiconductorforhightemperatureapplicationsandrequires
nocoolingatVenus’stemperature,
 HerteamatArizonaStateUniversityisalreadypartofanongoingARPA‐EProject
andhasdevelopeddiamondhigh‐voltageandhigh‐currentdiodeswithaforward
currentdensity>500A/cm2at4V,moderatereverseleakagecurrentdensityof10
mA/cm2at150V,andahighbreakdownat>500V.Thisteamisnowfabricating
BJTs.
 Inaddition,thediodesdemonstratelowresistancecontactsonbothp‐andn‐type
diamondusingTi/Pt/Aumetallizationincontactwithdiamondlayersdopedp‐or
n‐typetoaconcentration>1020cm‐3.Ultrananocrystallinediamondreduces
interfaceresistanceattemperaturesupto600°C.
 Thegoalistodevelopthesedevicesintolow‐noiseamplifierstoenablethe
explorationofVenusiansurface.
PeterJamesinhisposteronHowwelldoweknowVenus’GravityField?A
Retrospectivedescriedhisstudiesonlithosphereandmantlethicknessesbasedonthe
Magellan’s180–degreegravityfieldfromAlexKonopliv.
SanjayLimayeinhisposterUltravioletAbsorbersonVenus–Bacteria?addresseda
numberofquestions:
 WhyareVenusiancloudsaredifferentfromthoseonEarth?,
 Whyisn’ttheUVabsorberwellmixed?,
 WhatarecloudsonVenusmadeof?,
 CouldlifehaveevolvedontheVenusiansurface?andmostimportantly,
 WhenVenuswaswarmingandlosingitswater,couldbacteriahavemigratedtothe
clouds?.
JonathanSauderinhisposteronAutomatonRoverforExtremeEnvironments(AREE)
reportedonaJPL’seffortthathasdevelopedafeasibledesignforacapableVenussurface
roverviatheNASAInnovationandAdvancedConcepts.
SueSmrekarinherposteronVenusHeatFlowInstrumentdescribedaconceptualdesign
thatisbeingpursuedviaNASA’sPICASSOProgram.
GeneralTopics
ColinWilsonprovidedanupdateontheVenus‐IIIBook,notingthatthiswillbepublished
asaSpecialIssueofSpaceScienceReviews(Springer)witheachchapteraccessibleasa
SpaceScienceReviewspaper.9of11chaptershavebeenreceivedindraftform.Thefirst
chapterisnowreadyforsubmission.5of11chaptershavebeenreviewedbytheeditorial
boardforomissionsandoverlapwithotherschapters,withfeedbacksenttoauthors.A
SpaceScienceReviewssubmissionspagehasbeenopenedforsubmissionforallofthe
chapters.
NoamIzenbergprovidedaprovocativepresentationonLeveragingHumanSpaceflight
forVenusPlanetarySciencebynotingthatahumanEarth‐Mars‐Venus‐Earthflyby
missionwasenvisionedinthe1950’s.ThisledtoanumberofNASA’sEMPIREstudiesby
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 13
variousaerospacecompaniesinthe1960’sand1970’s.Afterahiatusinthe1980’sandthe
1990’s,Mars,Moon,asteroidsandVenuscannowbeenvisionedashumanspaceflight
targets.Inparticular,fly‐bysofVenuscanoptimizehumanspaceflighttoMarsbyreducing
thelaunchenergiesandshorteningtheflighttimes.Noamconcludedbynotingthatthere
aremultipleargumentsforhumanspaceflighttoincludeVenusasflybydestinationalone
and/oronwaytoMarsenablingsignificantopportunitiesforVenusplanetarycommunity
(science)andsatisfyingNASAcommunities,suchasHEOMDandSMD).
TimTitusprovidedanoverviewofUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey(USGS)Capabilities
toSupportVenusMissionsbynotingthattheoverallgoalsareto:
• GettheVenuscommunitythinkingaboutUSGScontributionsforfuturemissions,
• GettheUSGSthinkingabouthowbesttosupportVenus,
• ProvidelinkstoUSGSproducts/services,and
• Prepareandeducatethenextgeneration.
KeyUSGScapabilitiestosupportthisare:
• Datauserworkshops,
• MRCTRGISLab,
• Imageprocessing,
• Cartography,
• Nomenclature,
• Dataarchiving,
• Scienceexpertise,
• Datafusion,and
• Changedetection.
USGSconductscomparativeplanetologyoftectonics,volcanism,aeolianfeatures,and
volatilesusingopticalspectralwindowsandradarimaging.AkeysupportingUSGSsoftware
suiteistheIntegratedSoftwareforImagersandSpectrometersVersion3(ISIS3)that
currentlysupportsover20pastandcurrentmissions.TheUSGSalsosupportsthescience
communityviathePDSImagingNode,aRegionalPlanetaryImagingFacility(RPIF),
Nomenclature,andDataWorkshops.TimconcludedbynotingthatengagingUSGShasthe
advantagesofcradle‐to‐the‐gravedatamanagementvia:
 UseofISIS3(whichhasfreetoolsforimageprocessingthatenabledata‐fusionand
changedetection),
 AssistingwithPlanetaryDataSystem(PDS)datadeliveries,
 ProvidingexpertiseinGISMapping,aswellas
 Providingexpertiseintectonic,volcanicandaeolianprocesses.
KevinBainesreportedontheStudyontheValueofParticipatingScientist(PS)
ProgramstoNASA.ThiswasoriginatedatanOPAGmeetingwheretherewasaconcern
aboutpossibleinconsistenciesinhowParticipatingScientist(PS)programsareofferedand
implemented,andtheirvaluetothesciencecommunity.ThisledtoanOPAGfinding:
“WeencourageNASAtoconsiderbroaderuseofparticipatingscientistprogramsandearly
careermissionsupport.AtNASA’srequestOPAG(workingwithotherAGs)willleadaWhite
PaperprovidingmoredetailedinformationtoNASAabouttheimportanceandeffectivenessof
suchprograms.”OtherAnalysisGroupsalsosupportedthisfindingandaskedtobeinvolved
intheWhitePaper.ThegoalofthisWhitePaperistoevaluatePSprogramsbyassessing
theirvaluetoNASAmissions,tounderstandsimilaritiesanddifferences,togatherlessons
learned,andtoinvestigatehowtomaximizetheusefulnessoftheseprograms.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 14
AsurveywasconductedbyquestioningtheformerandcurrentParticipatingScientistsand
anyoneelsewhohasaninterestin(orhadanopinionabout)theseprograms.Therewere
about200responsestothissurvey,ofwhichabout120werefromcurrentorformer
ParticipatingScientistsorGuestInvestigators.RespondentsnotedseveralbenefitstoNASA,
includingintellectualdiversity,expertisethroughoutthemissiontimeline,increasedscience
return,andworkforcedevelopment.Theyalsocommentedonthepersonalvalueofthe
programs,includingcollaboration,dataaccess,uniqueexperienceofinvolvementinmission
teams,personalcareerdevelopment,andthedevelopmentofskillsforfuturemission
leadership.Asecondsurveyisnowbeingconductedbyquestioningformerandcurrent
PrincipalInvestigatorsandProjectScientists.
Preliminaryrecommendationsare:
• PSprogramsbringsignificantvaluetoNASAandtothescientificcommunity,and
shouldbeincludedoneveryplanetarymission,whethercompetedordirected,
• ExpectationsfortimingandfundingofParticipatingScientistsshouldbeclearly
communicatedto(andagreedwith)missionleadershipandtheplanetary
communityearlyon,
• PSrequirementsshouldbeincludedintheAOforcompetedmissions,
• PSsshouldbebroughtontoamissionasearlyasfeasible,bearinginmindthetrade
betweencostandintegrationissues,
• PSswhoareselectedlaterinamission(e.g.,missionswithalongcruisephase)
shouldbegivenassistancewithteamintegrationandtraining,and
• IfaPSprogramisnotincludedonamission,thisdecisionshouldbediscussedwith
theplanetarycommunity,e.g.,viathePlanetaryScienceSubcommittee(PSS).
ResultsfromthesecondsurveyforPrincipalInvestigatorsandProjectScientistsarestill
comingin,withjustafewresponsesoutstanding.Thetimelineforcompletingthisis:
• DraftoftheWhitePaper,includingrecommendations,completedbytheendof
December2016,and
• AfinalWhitePaperwillbesubmittedtoAGsandmadeavailabletoentire
community(e.g.,vianewsletters,LPIwebpage,AGwebpages,etc.)byendof
January.
GiventhestrongsupportreceivedforthisstudyfromtheAGChairsandPSS,itisexpected
thatthePSSwilldeliveraformalfindingaboutPSprogramstoNASAduringtheirFebruary
2017meeting.Hopefully,theserecommendationswillbeincorporatedintofutureNew
FrontiersandDiscoveryStep2studies.
InvitedStudent/YoungCareerPresentations
ErinM.Bethell(agraduatestudentatCarletonUniversity,Ottawa,Canada)inher
presentationonDetailedMappingintheAlphaRegioandModelforCoronaenotedthat
somecoronaeappeartohavemultiplegenerationsofcircumferentialandradiatingsystems,
whicharecommonlyassociatedwithvolcanicfeatures,suchasvolcanicflows,volcanoes,
steep‐sideddomes,andcanali/sinuousrilles.ManyoftheseVenusiancoronalsystemsare
likelyunderlainbydykeswarmsthataresimilarinsizeandgeometrytorecently
discoveredradiatingmaficdykeswarmsonEarth.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 15
CandaceGray(asupportAstronomeratApachePointObservatory)inherpresentationon
Ground‐basedObservationsofVenusfromApachePointObservatorydescribedthe
VenusoxygengreenlineobservationsfromuniqueauroraonVenus.Thislineismost
intenseafterlargeCMEsandnotseenaftersolarflares.Electron‐excitedoxygenatomsare
thelikelysourceofthesegreenlineemissions.VenusExpressradiooccultationsshow
increasesinthenight‐sideionosphericlayersfromnight‐sideelectronprecipitationfluxand
energyduringtheseCMEs,indicatingthatCMEsdepositmoreelectronsdeepinthe
atmosphereataltitudesof100to200km.
SayaliMulay(anundergraduatebiotechnologystudentatFergussonCollege,Pune,India)
inherpresentationonPlausibleOrganicChemistryinVenusianClouds,addressedthe
questionof“CouldThereBeLifeonVenus?”bynotingthatthemiddleanduppercloud
layersonVenushaveenvironmentssimilartothatonEarth.Thesecloudlayersataltitudes
of50kmto70kmarecomposedofreactivegasesatfavorabletemperaturesofabout10°C
to76°Cwithatmosphericpressuresofabout1atm.Theywouldbefavorableenvironments
fororganicsasdemonstratedbythe1950’sMiller‐Ureyexperiment.
SaraPort(agraduatestudentatUniversityofArkansas)inherpresentationonMetal
FrostsonVenusdiscussedbismuthtellurides,sulfidesmixtures,andtheirrelationtometal
frostsonVenus.Thisaddressestheobservationthatradardatashowhighlyreflective
surfacesconcentratedintheVenusianhighlandsataltitudesof2.5to4.75km.Bismuth
telluridesandsulfidesmixturesaregoodcandidates,asbismuth,tellurium,andsulfuroccur
aroundvolcanicvents,arepresentinvolcanicgases,andcouldcondenseinthecooler
Venusianhighlands.
DavidTovar(agraduateStudentatUniversityofMinnesota)inhispresentationon
InsightsaboutFormationMechanismsofFractureZonesfromDetailedGeological
andStructuralMapofAphroditeTerranotedthatriftzonesonVenusaremuchdifferent
thanthoseonEarth.Adetailedstructuralanalysiswaspursuedinordertounderstandtheir
evolutionandtogaininsightsintopossibleheattransfermechanismsonVenus.Hismodels
forfracturesformationsuggestthatexcavationfrombeneathplaysamajorroleinforming
thesefracturezones.
TechnologyReports
Prof.Carl‐MikaelZetterlingprovidedareportonSiliconCarbide(SiC)Electronics
notingthathehashadsuccessinfabricatingSiCsemiconductorsandmicrocircuitsinhis
laboratory/cleanroomattheSwedishRoyalInstituteofTechnologyinStockholm.Wafers
arebeingtestedattemperaturesof620°C.ASwedishHigh‐TemperatureElectronicVenus
Projectwithagoalofuncooledoperationat460°Cisunderwaywiththedevelopmentand
testingofSeismic,UVImage,GasSensors,Amplifiers,AnalogtoDigitalConverters,Power
Supplies,MicrocontrollersandMemories.Futureworkwillemphasizethedevelopmentofa
4‐bitMicrocontrollerandMemorywith5000+transistorsusingintegratedSRAM,CMOS,
andTTLtechnologies.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 16
JimCuttsprovidedareportonafeasibilitystudyofVenusSmallSatandCubeSat
Missions.Studyobjectiveswereto:
 ExaminethefeasibilityofVenussciencemissionsusingCubeSatsorSmallSats,
 Determinetheprimarytechnicalchallenges,and
 DescribethesciencethatcouldbeaccomplishedviaaVenusSmallSat.
Thekeychallengesarelaunchvehicles,communicationsaswellaslifetimeandreliability.
TherearerideshareoptionsforgettingtoVenusthatincludeVenus,Mars,highearthorbit
andlunarmissions.Eachoftheserideshareoptionshasitsownfrequency,candidateVenus
missions,triptimes,andaccessibleVenusorbits.Venusmissionridesharescouldsupport
CubeSatorSmallSatmissions,whilemissionstoMars,highearthorbit,ortheMoonwould
havetobethelargerandheavierSmallSats.
JimconcludedbynotingthataffordablesolutionsexistforgettingbothCubeSatsand
SmallSatstoVenusandthatSmallSatsinthehighcircularorbitcouldalsoprovidea
communicationsrelaysforlongdurationinsitumissionssuchasballoonsandsurface
seismicmeasurements.
BrianDrouinsupplementedthisdiscussionofCubeSatsandSmallSatsbyprovidinga
reportonVAST,theVenusTerahertzAtmosphericSounder,aSubmillimeter‐Wave
SpectrometerforSmallSatellites.ThisisoutgrowthofVESPER,aVenusmissionconcept
studymanagedbyGoddardthatincludedaJPLsubmillimeterLimbSounder(SLS)to
provideupperatmosphericscience.THzlimbsoundingatVenuswouldyieldatmospheric
dynamics,physicsandchemistry,including:
• 12CO/13COwindswith10m/saccuracyforaltitudes75to90km,and5m/s
accuracyforaltitudesof90to120km,
• Verticalprofilesofatmospherictemperature,and
• Mixingratiosoftracespecies,suchasH2O,HDO,H218O(isotoperatios),H2O2,O2,ClO
(catalyticagent),O3(catalyticagent),SO2,OCS,H2S,NO(diagnosticoflightning)
Briannotedthatsignificantnumberofcomponentshavealreadybeenminiaturized
includingaReferenceOscillator,a100GHzSynthesizer,a85GHzAmplifier,a600GHz
Receiver,a600GHzCalibrationSwitch,WaveguideCalibrationLoads,andtheIFAmplifier
Chain.Continuingobjectivesinclude:
• Developingaflatantennathatcanbemounteddirectlyonasmallsatellite,
• ReplacingthecurrentQuasi‐opticalFlipMirrorCalibrationwithacompact
WaveguideCalibrator,
• IntegratingCMOSSynthesizerandSpectrometertoreducepowerconsumption,and
• Expandingthebandwidthofreceivertocaptureimportantmolecularspeciesin
Venusianatmosphere.
RajVenkatapathyprovidedareportonHEEETAEDC‐SuccessfulSeamandAcreage
Testing,addressingheatshieldmaterialforextremeentryenvironments.Thegoalisto
developthismaterialintimetosupportNewFrontiers‐4missions,suchasVenusLanderor
SaturnProbes.Thenewseamdesignofgapfillerwithadhesiveperformstheprimary
functionofprovidingreliefofstructuralloadswithanaerothermallyrobustjoint.Asno
currentgroundtestfacilityiscapableofcombinedthermo‐structuraltestingatextreme
entryconditions,arc‐jettestingonpatcheswassuccessfullyperformed.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 17
TiborKremicprovidedareportonLong‐LivedIn‐SituSolarSystemExplorer,LLISSE,a
small(about10kg)probebeingdevelopedtoacquireandtransmitsimplebutimportant
sciencemeasurementsforextendedperiodsfromthesurfaceofVenus.Thethreekey
supportelementsare:
 Recentdevelopmentsinhigh‐temperatureelectronics,
 Emphasisonlowdatavolumemeasurement,and
 Noveloperatingschemes.
Sciencegoalsareto:
 Estimatemomentexchangebetweenplanetandatmosphere,
 Quantifynear‐surfaceatmosphericchemistryvariability,and
 Acquiretemporalweatherdatatoupdateglobalcirculationmodels.
ThisisbeingpursuedasaTechnologyDemonstrationformorecapablefuturelanders.
Specificscientificmeasurementsmeasuredoverlongtimescalescouldbe:
 Surfacewindspeedanddirection,
 Surfacetemperatureandpressure,
 Near‐surfaceatmosphericchemicalcompositions,andpossibly
 Incidentradiance,
OperationalgoalsaretooperateforaminimumofoneVenus“daylightperiod”and
day/nighttransition(~60Earthdays),andtotakeandtransmitmeasurementsperiodically
timedforscienceneedandtomaximizetransfertoorbiter/datarelay.
Twoversions(onepoweredbyabatteryandonepoweredbythewind)arebeingpursued.
Bothhavecommonfeaturesofbeingdeployablefromaballoon,alander,orviaitsown
entryshell.Thebatteryversionwouldsenddatafor2minutesevery8hours.Thewind
versionhasindefinitelife,withvariabledatatransmissionfrequencies.Currentproject
objectivesaretodevelophalf‐andfull‐scaleprototypeprobes(onebatterypoweredand
onewindpowered)andthendemonstratetheirperformanceinVenusconditionsusingthe
GlennExtremeEnvironmentRig(GEER)bytakingscientificmeasurementsand
transmittingthedata.ThewindversionwouldbetestedwithsimulatedwindsinGEER.
Long‐rangegoalsaretocompleteperformancetestsoffull‐scaleprototypemodelsrunning
witha10MHzcommunicationsystemwithin3years.Turbinetestsonawindpowered
half‐scalemodelwouldbecompleted2yearslater.
TiborKremiccontinuedwithastatusupdateontheGlennExtremeEnvironmentRig
(GEER)notingthatitscurrentcapabilitiesaretosimulateVenusatmosphereswithambient
temperaturesto500°C,pressuresof0.001to100barwithvirtuallyanychemistryfor
indefinitedurations.Thissupportsscience,technologyand/ormissionapplicationsfor:
 Venus(environmentandchemistryfromthesurfacetoaboveclouds),
 Saturn,Jupiter,Uranus,andtheirmoons(chemistryandtemperature/pressure),
 Exoplanets(chemistryforscienceandmodelinputs).
MajorGEERsubsystemsincludepressurevessel,gascontainment,gasmixing,
programmablecontrolsystems,pumpingstation,temperaturecontrol,analytics,and
operationstations–allhousedinaspeciallydesignedfacility.GEERiscomingbackonline
afteritsfirstyearofoperationsandarequiredmaintenanceperiod.Improvementsduring
ofthisrecentannualmaintenanceshutdowninclude:
 Installinghighperformanceinsulationreplacingtheoldblankets,
 Polishingoftheinteriorsurfaces,
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 18

Improvingagashandlingsystemforevenhigheraccuracychemistryviaaprecision
highpressuredosingpump,and
 Addinganon‐siteQuadrupoleMassSpectrometerandaMicroGasChromatograph.
GEERhasrecentlycompletedseveralspecificsuccessfulexperimentsinvolvingtestsat
Venussurfacetemperaturesandpressureswithappropriatematerials.Testshavebeen
conductedforover95daysatVenussurfaceconditionsinfullchemistryaswellas25days
withaCO2/N2atmosphere.Thesetestsandexperimentssupportscienceexperimentsas
wellastechnologydevelopmentandmaturation.
Moreaccessandusers'capabilitiesarebeingprovidedby:
 EstablishingScienceAdvisoryCommittee,
 Providingfeed‐throughsforpowerandothersignals,
 Accommodatingremoteusers,
 IncorporatingsmallParrpressurevesselsintosmallandquickoperations,
 Enhancingtheanalytics,and
 Providinganopticalport.
TiborconcludedbynotingthatGEERisavailableforusersviaaROSESproposal.TheGEER
websiteishttps//geer.nasa.gov.
NatashaJohnsonprovidedastatusupdateontheGoddardVenusPressureTest
Chamber,VICI,theVenusinsituChamberInvestigations.Thischamberwasbuiltfor
testinghigh‐temperaturecomponentsbyDr.WilliamByrdatIowaStateUniversityand
subsequentlytransferredtoGoddardinmid‐summer2009.Itconsistsofastainlesssteel
pressurevesselthatoperatesatmaximumpressureof95.6bar(1,387psi),andratedto
ruptureat1500psi.Thecylindricalvolumewithadiameterof12.7cm(5inches)anddepth
of30.5cm(12inches)isabout4liters.Testsarecomputer‐monitoredviaNILabView,
whichrecordspressuresandtemperaturesinrealtime.
TheseVICIcapabilitiessupporttestswithpressurerangeof1to95.6barsattemperatures
of298to740°K.GasescanbeCO2orN2atpressure,aVenusatmospheremixtureofCO2and
N2,oramixtureofCO2andSO2at150ppm.Thischamberisavailabletothecommunityviaa
ROSESproposal.PleasefeelfreetocalloremailNatashaat:[email protected]/
301‐286‐3919.
VenusConferences
ColinWilsonprovidedarecapoftheVenus2016Conference,heldatOxfordUniversity,
lastApril.Therewere140participantsfrom16countrieswith21“earlycareer”scientists
(PhDstudentsand1styearpostdocs)supportedwithaccommodationcostsandregistration
fees.TheconferencecoveredallaspectsofVenussciencefromitsinteriorandsurfacetoits
atmosphereandmagnetosphere,spanningawiderangeofmissionsfromtheVeGaballoons,
throughVenusExpress,onwardstoAkatsukiandfuturemissions.Conferencehighlights
includedfirstresultsfromAkatsukiandaVenusExpresslegacysession.Colinalsonoted
thatheislookingforwardtoaVenus2018Conference(possiblyinJapan)thatwouldcover
topicssuchasAkatsukiresults,aBepiColomboVenusflyby,DAVINCIand/orVERITAS,
EnVision,VAMP,andanEMPIREmannedflyby.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 19
PaulSteffesprovidedapreviewoftheVenusSciencePrioritiesforModelingand
ExperimentsWorkshopakaVenusModelingWorkshopthatwillbeheldattheOhio
AerospaceInstitute,Cleveland,OH,onMay9‐11,2017.Thiswillbethethirdinaseries,
followingtheVenusExplorationTargetsWorkshopinMay2014,andtheVenusScience
PrioritiesforLaboratoryMeasurementsandInstrumentDefinitionWorkshopinApril2015.
TheMay2017workshopisintendedtobehighlyinteractiveandwillconsistofa
combinationofcross‐disciplinaryplenarysessionsanddiscipline‐specifictopicalbreakout
sessions.Invitedtalkswillbesolicitedforthepurposeofprovidingafocusforcommunity
discussion.Theplenarybriefingswillprovideshortoverviewsandsummaryinformation
andwilllayafoundationforthebreakoutsections.TherewillbeaFocusSessiononVenera‐
D,aswellasPlenarySessionswithfourbreakoutsontheInterior,ThermalandChemical
InteractionwiththeSurface,theNeutralAtmosphere,andtheUpperAtmosphereand
Ionosphere.
DmitriTitovprovidedapreviewoftheESLABSymposiumonComparativeAeronomy
ofTerrestrialPlanetsthatwillbeheldMay2018,atESTEC,Noordwijk,Netherlands.This
conferencewillemphasize:
 Processesintheupperatmospheresandplasmaenvelopesofterrestrialplanets,
TitanandMoon,
 Escapeandevolutionoftheatmospheres,
 Resultsfromspacemissions,and
 Numericalmodelingandtheoreticalinvestigations.
Thiswillbeafollow‐ontoaMarsAeronomyConference,BoulderCO,onMay15‐19,2017.
GiadaArneyfilinginforShawnDomagal‐GoldmanprovidedapreviewofComparative
ClimatologyofTerrestrialPlanetsIIIConference(CCTP3).ThiswillbethethirdCCTP
meetingwiththefirstwasheldinBoulder,COin2012,andthesecondwasheldatMoffett
Field,CA(NASAAmes)in2015.Thiswillbeacross‐divisionalworkshopincludingEarth,
planetary,astrophysics,andheliophysicsdisciplineswiththegoalofaddressingissues
acrossplanetarytargetsincludingtheEarthandexoplanetswithanoverarchingthemeof
“SystemsInteractionsNearandFar”.
AkeyquestionforthisConferenceis“Howbesttofostercross‐disciplinaryinteractionsthat
haveanimpactbeyondthemeeting?Currentthoughtsaboutthevenuearesummer2018in
anEastCoastcitysuchasWashington/Baltimore,Atlanta,orBoston.Expectedattendanceis
about100participants,similartotheCCTPIandCCTPIIConferences.
TimTitusprovidedapreviewof5thInternationalPlanetaryDunesWorkshop.This
workshopwilladdressdunefieldsacrosstheSolarSystem:
• TerrestrialPlanets‐Venus,MarsandEarth(land/desertsandoceans/rivers),
• Outerplanetsatellites,suchasTitan,and
• Airlessbodies–cometsandvolatilerichimpacts.
Theobjectivesofthethisworkshopareto:
• Increasethecollaborationsbetweenterrestrialaeolianscientistsandplanetary
aeolianscientistsacrossmultipledisciplines,
• Facilitatethefusionofremotesensing,analogresearch,laboratoryexperiments,
includingwindtunnels,computermodelingandsimulations,
• Preparethenextgenerationofscientists,andinparticular
• Expandaeolianstudiestoterrestrialsubaqueousbedforms,whichmayprovide
analogsforaeolianprocessesonplanetssuchasVenus.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 20
SpecificquestionsforVenusdunesare:“Whydoweonlyobservetwolargedunefields?”
and“Aretheremicrodunefields?”.ThosetwolargeVenusiandunefieldsareAl‐UzzaUndae
withadiameterof150kmandMenatUndaewithadiameterof100km.Theapparentlack
ofdunesonVenuscouldbeduetolowsurfacewindspeeds,alackofsediment,orpossibly
thelackofhighspatialresolutiondataneededtoresolvesmallerdunefields.
ThenextInterplanetaryDunesWorkshop,whichincludesafieldtriptoPinkCoralSand
Dunes,willbeheldatDixieStateUniversity,St.George,UtahonMay16‐19,2017.Abstract
deadlineisMarch7,2017.Registrationwillbeabout$225.Focuswillbeondunesinthick
atmospheres,suchasVenuswithterrestrialoceansandriversasanalogs.Meetingwebsite
ishttp://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/dunes2017/.Workshopoutput,asithasbeenfor
pastworkshops,isexpectedtobeanEOSMeetingReport,anAeolianResearchReport,as
wellasaspecialissueofanappropriatescientificjournal.
ArtistConceptoftheVenusClimateMission(VCM)FlagshipMissionSpacecraft
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 21
FindingsandResolutionsfromVEXAGMeeting#14
November29‐December1,2016meeting
Findings
Finding#1
VEXAGagainrequestsareassessmentoftheVenusflagshipdescribedinthe2011
PlanetaryScienceDecadalSurvey(PSDS),beforethenextDecadalSurveyconvenesin
2020.TheVenusClimateMission(VCM)wasrankedbelowtheIceGiantsflagship,whose
detailedstudyisnearingcompletion.VCMwasrankedequallywithEnceladus,whichisnow
akeytargetinthenewOceanWorldsprogram.ThereforeaVenusflagshipmissionconcept
willnowalsobenefitfrommoredetailedstudyinordertoprovideaframeworktothe2020
deliberations.Drivingfactorsinclude(1)advancementsininstrumentmaturitythatwould
decreasemassandcost,(2)newconceptsinaerialplatformsthatcouldenablegreater
verticalmobilityordirectedflight,(3)innovationingeophysicaltechniquesandtechnology
thatcouldexpandthescopeoforbital,aerial,orlandedscience,(4)theimpactofthe
imminentDiscoveryselectionsandupcomingNewFrontiersaswellasinternational
competitions,and(5)newobservationsofextrasolarplanetsthatframeVenusinthe
contextofthequestion:“DoesEarth‐sizedmeanEarth‐like?”
Finding#2
VEXAGreaffirmsitsendorsementoftheVenusGravityAssistsScienceOpportunity
(VeGASO).WeappreciatethattheBepiColombo(BC)missionhasalreadyagreedtooperate
itsscienceinstrumentsduringtheVenusflybys,andweencouragecontinuedscience
dialogueabouttheforthcomingVenusgravity‐assistopportunitiesprovidedbySolarProbe
Plus,SolarOrbiter,EuropaMultiple‐FlybyMission,andotherfuturemissions.VEXAG
suggeststhatasimpletwo‐stepsequenceisthemostefficientpathtoVeGASO
implementation.BeginningwithBC,theflightprojectfirstissuesaProposalInformation
Package(PIP)thatwoulddescribe(ingreaterdetailthantheVeGASOreport),thespacecraft
trajectoryandoperatingparametersandcapabilitiesoftheinstruments.Next,NASAand
ESAwouldissueconcurrentParticipatingScientist(PS)callsthatwouldproposescience
consistentwiththePIP,andselectionswouldbecoordinatedbetweenNASAandESA.
VEXAGrecommendsthispathtoensurethatthebestpossibledetailedsciencejustification
forpotentialinvestigationsrestsdirectlywiththeproposers.VEXAGwillencourage
participationbyinterestedUSscientistsataVeGASOsplintermeetingduringthe
BepiColomboScienceWorkingTeaminMay2017.
Finding#3
VEXAGappreciatesrecentsupportfromthePlanetaryScienceDivisionfor
internationalscienceparticipationandstronglyencouragesthecontinuedsupportof
theseopportunitiesforcollaboration.TheVEXAGcommunityisexcitedbythescience
resultsfromtheAkatsukimissiontoVenusandtheinvolvementofNASA’sParticipating
Scientistsinthismission.VEXAGcontinuestosupportNASAparticipationinfuture
internationalpartnershipsincludingmissioncollaborationandparticipatingscientist
programssuchastheupcomingEuropeanSpaceAgency’sM5opportunity.Continued
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 22
NASAsupportoftheCOSPARInternationalVenusExplorationWorkingGroupwillfacilitate
theneededdialogueamongotherinternationalpartnersincludingESA,JAXA,IKI,andISRO.
Finding#4
VEXAGencouragesNASAtosupporteffortsthatengageabroadercross‐sectionofthe
USsciencecommunityintheRussianVenera‐Dmission.Weareencouragedbythe
imminentreleaseofthefirstreportoftheVenera‐DJointScienceDefinitionTeamandwe
anticipatecontinuedadvancementonthiseffort.WeappreciateNASA’ssupportofVEXAG’s
May2017WorkshoponVenusSciencePrioritiesforModelingandExperiments,whichwill
includeaprogramcomponentforVenera‐D.
Finding#5
VEXAGencouragesNASAtocontinueitsinvestmentinfacilities,instruments,and
technologymaturationthatcriticallyenableVenusmissions,andwefurther
encourageidentificationofnovelopportunitiestodelivertheseassetstoVenus.
VEXAGappreciatesNASA’ssignificantinvestmentinfacilitieslikeGEERandVICIandthe
Homesteader,MatISSE,PICASSO,andespeciallyHOTTechprograms.VEXAGstrongly
endorsesSmallSatandCubeSatdevelopmentandthegoaloftheirregularintegrationinto
futurelaunches.Inparticular,VEXAGencouragesNASAtoconsiderdevelopmentofa
standardizedinfrastructureforVenuscommunicationsrelay(suchastheUHFprotocolsfor
Mars)thatcouldbesizedforsuchspacecraft.Sucharelaycouldfacilitatelong‐livedsurface
operationsorsecondarypayloaddrop‐offatVenus.
Finding#6
VEXAGencouragesNASAtoformacross‐divisionalresearchprogramfor
ComparativeClimatologyoftheTerrestrialPlanets(CCTP).Itisessentialtounderstand
Venus,Earth,andothersolarsystemworldsinthecontextofexoplanets,andtoleverage
ourdetailedknowledgeofEarthandoursolarsystemtounderstandnewdataon
exoplanets.UnderstandingVenusandotherworldsinthecontextofsolar/stellarforcings
is,byitsverynature,aninterdisciplinaryendeavor.CollaborationswiththeEarthclimate
researchcommunityhavealreadyprovidedimportantexpertiseandtoolstounderstanding
Venusandotherworlds.ThesesynergieshavebeenevidencedatpriorCCTPmeetings.
CCTPmeetingshavebeenamodelofcross‐divisionalsupportandothercross‐divisional
programs(NAI,NLSI/SSERVI,NeXSS)havebeensuccessful.Itwasourunderstandingthata
relevantnewprogramelementwasforthcomingandweurgeNASAtoimplementthis
importantopportunity.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 23
Finding#7
VEXAGencouragescoordinationbetweenSMDandHEOMDtostudythesynergies
presentedbythehumanPathtoMars.Venusflybytrajectoriesofferuniqueelementsof
thedelta‐Vvsmission‐durationtradespaceforheavylifttoMarsofpilotedmissionsand
human‐infrastructureelements.ThisenablesuniqueopportunitiesforVenusscience–akin
toVeGASOdescribedabove–fordeployedpayloadsandhuman‐in‐the‐loopflyby
investigations.Further,Earth‐Venus‐Earthflybymissionscanalsoprovidethesescience
benefitswhiletesting<1‐yrinterplanetaryflightsonthehumanspaceflightonthePathto
Mars.
Finding#8
VEXAGencouragesPSDsupportforupcomingopportunitiesandinitiatives,including
travelsupporttointernationalconferencesspecificallyforyoungcareerscientistsin
thefollowingVenus‐relevantmeetingssupportedbyVEXAG:
a.WorkshoponVenusSciencePrioritiesforModelingandExperiments,May2017,
Cleveland,Ohio.
b.5thInternationalDunesWorkshop,May2017,StGeorge,Utah.
c.15thVEXAGmeeting,OctoberorNovember2017,LocationTBD.
d.CCTP3Conference,Summer2018,Atlanta,Washington/Baltimore,orBoston
e.PotentialTargetsWorkshop2018orlater.
Resolutions
VEXAGwillencourageVenussciencecommunityparticipationinthefollowingmeetings:
 InterplanetaryProbesWorkshop14,TheHague,June2017
 EuropeanPlanetaryScienceCongress(EPSC),Riga,Latvia,September2017.
 ESLABComparativeAeronomyConferenceESTEC,Noordwijk,Netherlands,May
2018
 COSPAR,Pasadena,California,July2018
 InternationalVenusConference,Japan,Sept12‐152018.
VEXAGrecognizestheupcomingmid‐termreviewofthe2011PlanetaryScienceDecadal
SurveyandresolvestodevelopappropriateinputfromExecutiveCommitteedeliberations
andcommunityinputviatheVEXAGwebsite,VenusTownHallat2017LPSC,and
WorkshoponVenusSciencePrioritiesforModelingandExperiments.
BecauseoftheaccessibilityofVenusandthepotentialvaluetoscienceandinfrastructure
there,VEXAGresolvestoprovideinputtotheNASASmallSatandCubeSatrequestsfor
informationthroughwebformsadvertisedtothecommunity.
VEXAGrecognizestheimportanceoflong‐rangeplanningandresolvestocontributeone
generalabstractandsolicitspecializedabstractsforthePlanetaryScienceVision2050
WorkshoptobeheldatNASAHQearlyin2017.
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 24
Attendees–VEXAGMeeting#14–November29–December1,2016
First Name Last Name Affiliation Michael Giada David Sushil Amato Arney Atkinson Atreya NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory University of Michigan Kevin Jeffrey Patricia Max Erin Kerry Baines Balcerski Beauchamp Bernstein Bethell Burns University of Wisconsin‐Madison NASA Glenn Research Center JPL‐Caltech NASA Headquarters Carleton University Raytheon/Jacobs/MSFC Environments Josh Bruce Stephen Valeria James Cahill Campbell Clark Cottini Cutts Aplied Physics Laboratory, National Air and Space Museum Spaceflight Now magazine NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory Dwayne Shawn Brian Day Donagal‐Goldman Drouin National Research Council NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory Brainna Larry Eller Esposito Arizona State University University of Colorado Jeff Foust Space News Martha Zach Lori Richard Nicolas Candace Jim Robert David Jeff Scott Gilmore Girazian Glaze Ghail Gorius Gray Green Grimm Grinspoon Grossman Guzewich Wesleyan University NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Imperial College NASA Goddard Space Flight Center New Mexico State University NASA Headquarters Southwest Research Institute Planetary Science Institute Massachusets Institite of Technology NASA Goddard Space Flight Center VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 25
First Name Last Name Affiliation Jorn Robert Gary Helbert Herrick Hunter German Air and Space Agency (DLR) University of Alaska, Fairbanks NASA Glenn Research Center Noam Izenberg Aplied Physics Laboratory Peter Natasha Hilary James Johnson Justh Lunar and Planetary Institute NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Walter Erika David Tibor Kiefer Kohler Kraemer Kremic Lunar and Planetary Institute NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Johns Hopkins University NASA Glenn Research Center Sanjay Iván Ralph Limaye López Ruiz Labraderas Lorenz Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain JHU Applied Physics Lab Alex Paul Erwan Alfred Patrick Carolyn Michael Sayali Macdonald Mahaffy Mazarico McEwen McGovern Mercer Mischna Mulay NASA Headquarters NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Instutite NASA Headquarters Jet Propulsion Laboratory Fergusson College, Pune, India Masato Curt Sarah Nakamura Niebur Noble Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) NASA Headquarters NASA Headquarters Adriana Joseph Ocampo O'Rourke NASA Headquarters California Institute of Technology VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary University of Wisconsin 26
First Name Last Name Affiliation Sara Louise Port Prockter University of Arkansas Lunar and Planetary Institute Jonathan Christina Rall Richey NASA Headquarters NASA Headquarters Jonathan David Marcia Suzanne Paul Ellen Hakan Sauder Senske Smith Smrekar Steffes Stofan Svedhem Jet Propulsion Laboratory Jet Propulsion Laboratory SpaceTech Jet Propulsion Laboratory Georgia Tech University NASA Headquarters European Space Agency Timothy Tommy Dmitry David Melissa Allan Constantine Titus Thompson Titov Tovar Trainer Treiman Tsang U.S. Geological Survey Jet Propulsion Laboratory European Space Agency University of Minnesota NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Lunar and Planetary Instutite Southwest Research Institute Ethiraj Paul Venkatapathy Voosen NASA Ames Research Center Science magazine Jennifer Thomas Colin Whitten Widemann Wilson National Air and Space Museum Paris Observatory University College London Ludmila Zasova Carl‐Mikael Zetterling Space Research Institute (IKI), Moscow Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm First Name Affiliation Last Name VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 27
Agenda‐VEXAGMeeting#14
Tuesday‐Thursday,November29–December1,2016
JamesWebbAuditorium,NASAHeadquarters(GroundFloor,WestEntrance)
300ESt.SW,WashingtonDC20546
MeetingTheme‐UnveilVenus:WhyisEarth'ssisterplanetsodifferent?"
Tuesday,November29,2015‐8:00AM–7:00PM–NASAandMissionReports
8:00 Sign‐In,PickupHandouts,Coffee
8:15 WelcomeandObjectivesof14thVEXAGmeeting–BobGrimm
‐ VenusExplorationSlogan&VEXAGWeb‐SiteUpdates
8:30 NASAReports
8:30 PerspectivesonVenusExploration–EllenStofan
8:45 UpdateonNASAPlanetaryScienceDivision‐JimGreen
‐ ResponsetoVEXAGMeeting#13Deliberations
‐ Mid‐TermDecadalSurveyPreviewandVeGASOUpdate
10:00 COFFEEBREAK
10:30NewFrontiersProgram–CurtNiebur
10:50NASAR&A–JonathanRall/MaxBernstein
11:10 NASAHeadquartersQ&A
12:00Student/YoungCareerMeetandGreet/Luncheon
12:00 LUNCH
1:00
1:00
1:30
1:45
2:00
MissionReports
AkatsukiReport–MasatoNakamura
Venera‐DJointScienceDefinitionTeam–LudmilaZasova,DaveSenske,
PlanetaryCubesats–MichaelSeablom,NASAHeadquarters
PlanetarySmallsatROSESStudyCall–CarolynMercer,NASAHeadquarters
2:00 COFFEEBREAK
2:30–NewFrontiersVenusFlagshipMissionsForums
2:30 VenusNewFrontiersForum–MarthaGilmore,Lead
3:15 VenusFlagship(Mid‐TermDecadal)MissionForum–BobGrimm,Lead
4:30OpenMicrophoneandPosterPreviewPresentations
4:30 OpenMicrophonePresentations(5minutes/2view‐graphseach)
5:00 PosterPresentationsPreviews(2‐3minutes/1view‐grapheach)
5:15 SummaryofTuesday’sKeyItems/WednesdayAgendaItems–BobGrimm
5:30 POSTERPRESENTATIONS
7:00 ADJOURN
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 28
Wednesday,November30,2016‐8:00AM–5:00PM
8:00 Sign‐In,PickupHandouts,Coffee
8:30 SiCelectronics–Carl‐MikaelZetterling(Web‐Ex)
8:45 AnUncooledLong‐LifeVenusSeismometryStation‐ColinWilson(Web‐Ex)
9:00 VenusIIIBook‐ColinWilson(Web‐Ex)
9:15 2016InternationalVenusConferenceRecap‐ColinWilson(Web‐Ex)
9:30 EnvisionMissionOverview‐RichardGhail(Web‐Ex)
9:45 VERITAS(SueSmrekar,PI),anorbitingmissiontoproducehigh‐resolution
topographyandimagingaswellasglobalsurfacecomposition;and
10:00 DAVINCI(LoriGlaze,PI),anatmosphericprobemissiontostudytheorigin,
evolution,andchemicalprocessesoftheatmosphere.
10:15 ThoughtsforHumanExplorationofVenus–NoamIzenberg
10:30COFFEEBREAK
11:00 Student/YoungScholarInvitedTalks
11:00 DetailedMappingintheAlphaRegioandModelforCoronae
‐ErinM.Bethell,CarletonUniversity,Ottawa,Canada
11:10Ground‐basedObservationsofVenusfromApachePointObservatory
‐CandaceGray,ApachePointObservatory,
11:20PlausibleOrganicChemistryinVenusianClouds,SayaliMulay,
FergussonCollege,Pune,India
11:30 MetalFrostsonVenus,SaraPort,UniversityofArkansas
11:40 NewInsightsaboutFormationMechanismsofFractureZonesfromDetailed
GeologicalandStructuralMapofAphroditeTerra(15S‐20S/110E‐124E),David
Tovar,UniversityofMinnesota
11:50 LUNCHBREAK
Wednesday,November30,2016–1:30–5:00PM–ScienceandTechnology
1:30 VenusSmallsatandCubesatMissions–JimCutts,
1:45 Submillimeter‐WaveSpectrometerforSmallSatellites
‐BrianDrouin,TheodoreReck
2:00 USGSCapabilitiestosupportVenusMissions–TimTitus
2:15 VenusExpressDataArchives–HakanSvedhem
2:30 COFFEEBREAK
3:00 HotTechProgramOverview–AdrianaOcampo
3:15 Long‐LivedStationforVenus‐TiborKremic,LudmilaZasova,SanjayLimaye,
andGaryHunter
3:30 HEEETAEDC‐SuccessfulSeamandAcreageTesting–RajVenkatapathy
3:45 VenusEntryProbePrototype(HomesteaderProgram)LoriGlaze
4:00 GlennExtremeEnvironmentRig(GEER)‐TiborKremic,GaryHunter
4:15 VenusInsituChamberInvestigations(VICI)–NatashaJohnson
4:30 SummaryofWednesday’sKeyItems/ThursdayAgendaTopics–BobGrimm
4:45 ADJOURN
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 29
Thursday,December1,2016‐8:00AM–12:00PM–VEXAGActivities
8:00 Sign‐In,PickupHandouts,Coffee
8:30 Welcome–BobGrimm
8:40 VenusGoals,ObjectivesandInvestigationsUpdate–BobGrimm
9:00 PSSParticipatingScientistSurvey–KevinBaines
9:15 WorkshoponVenusSciencePrioritiesforModelingandExperiments
‐TiborKremic,PaulSteffes
9:30 ESLABSymposiumonComparativeAeronomyofTerrestrialPlanets,
‐May2018,ESTEC–DmitriTitov(Web‐Ex)
9:40 ComparativeClimatologyofTerrestrialPlanetsIIIConferencePreview
‐ ShawnDomagal‐Goldman
9:50 InternationalDunesWorkshops–TimTitus
10:00 Japan’sInternationalVenusConference,September2018‐MasatoNakamura
10:10 COFFEEBREAK
10:40 ProposedFindingsandResolutions/VEXAGGoals&Plansfor2017
‐BobGrimm
11:45 GroupPhoto
12:00 ADJOURN
1:30 VEXAGExecutiveCommitteeMeeting
OpenMicrophone@PosterPresentations–Tuesday,November29,2016
HighTemperatureDiamondElectronicsforActuatorandSensorApplications‐Brianna
Eller,RobertNemanich,JamesLyons,StephenGoodnick,andSrabantiChowdhury
Venusinabox–HighTemperatureNIREmissivityMeasurementsofVenusAnalogs
‐JörnHelbert,AlessandroMaturilli,DarbyDyar,SabrinaFerrari,DennisWendler,
MartyGilmore,ThomasWidemann,MarioD‘Amore,SueSmrekar
HowwelldoweknowVenus'sgravityfield?Aretrospective‐PeterJames
UltravioletAbsorber(s)onVenus–Bacteria?Physical,ChemicalandSpectralProperties
similartosomeMicro‐organisms?‐SanjayS.Limaye,RakeshMogul,ParagVaishampayan,
ArifAnsari,andGrzegorzSƚowik
ConstraintsonLithosphericRheologyandVolatileContentfromObservationsofCoronae–
JosephG.O’Rouke,SueSmrekar,andL‐NMoresi
AutomatonRoverforExtremeEnvironments(AREE)‐JonathanSauder,EvanHilgemann,
MichaelJohnson,BernardBienstock,AaronParness
ADEPTSR‐1FlightExperimentOverview‐PaulWercinski,AlanCassell,BrandonSmith,
BryanYount,ShakibGhassemieh,EthirajVenkatapathy,andSomDutta
VenusUHFDataRelayStandard‐ColinWilson
EuroVenusOutreachFilms–ColinWilson
VEXAG#14 Meeting Summary 30