Zephyr (rover)
Robotic Venus rover concept / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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 | |
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]