Defined as the “twin” of our planet, Venus is known as the planet most similar to Earth in our solar system. Over the years, it has been revealed that many features of Venus, such as its mass and gravity, are almost the same as our planet. However, hot air and toxic gases detected on the surface of the planet prevented a decision on whether the planet was habitable or not.
NASA engineers, on the other hand, continue their work at full speed to examine our sister planet in more detail. The “Space Balloon” project, which is NASA’s largest study on this subject, was successfully tested in the Nevada desert of the USA yesterday.
Will take a close look at the surface of Venus
Designed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), this space balloon actually looks quite similar to the balloons in Cappadocia when viewed from the outside. But of course it is not. This “Aerobot” actually consists of two intertwined balloons. There is helium gas in the inner balloon and a motor that allows to give this gas to the outer balloon and withdraw it. The outer balloon is made of a much more flexible material compared to the balloons we know. It was designed to withstand the high temperatures and gases on the surface of Venus.
Although the balloon is not suitable for flying on the surface of the planet, it will be able to observe the planet by flying comfortably in the atmosphere thought to be “habitable” a few kilometers above the surface. Sensors and cameras at the bottom of the balloon will scan the planet and send this information to a second probe orbiting Venus. Thanks to this tool, all the information collected will be examined by NASA and it will be determined whether the planet is habitable or not.
Space balloon successfully tested
An off-the-shelf prototype of the Venus space balloon was recently tested in the Nevada desert in the US. The balloon, which was deliberately tested during the hottest hours of the day, was given extra heat before the tests began. In this way, the possible performance of the balloon on Venus was tested. It was stated that Aerobot successfully completed the tests.
Of course, this Aerobot isn’t the only space balloon ever sent to Venus. The Soviet Union sent two space balloons, Vega 1 and Vega 2, to Venus in 1984 and collected data until the two balloons ran out of energy (each balloon could stay in the air for about 48 hours). It is currently unknown when NASA will launch its Venus mission.
