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Readying spacecraft to surf Venus’ atmosphere
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By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The Orion Environmental Test Article photographed inside the Thermal Vacuum Chamber on April 11, 2024, in the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Credit: NASA/Quentin Schwinn Making the voyage 1.4 million miles around the Moon and back — the farthest a spacecraft built for humans has ever gone — the Orion spacecraft has faced a battery of tests over the years. Though Orion successfully proved its capabilities in the harsh environment of space during the Artemis I mission, Orion’s evaluation did not end at splashdown.
The crew module, now known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, in January 2024 and completed an 11-month test campaign necessary for the safety and success of Artemis II, the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis campaign.
Engineers and technicians from NASA and Lockheed Martin subjected the test article to the extreme conditions Orion may experience in a launch abort scenario. In the event of an emergency, Orion — and astronauts inside — will jettison away from the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for a safe landing in the ocean.
Experts at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, conducted a lightning test, which simulates the electromagnetic effects of a lightning strike to the vehicle on the launch pad awaiting liftoff. The Feb. 20, 2024 test proved the grounding path of the vehicle is operating as designed and protecting the vehicle from damage to any of its equipment or systems. Credit: NASA/Quentin Schwinn Experts installed NASA’s Launch Abort System, designed to carry the crew to safety in the event of an emergency during launch or ascent. The Orion test article was subjected to acoustic levels simulating both a nominal ascent and a launch abort scenario. The acoustic test chamber at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, blasted the test article at a volume of almost 164 decibels on Sept. 9, 2024. Credit: NASA/Jordan Salkin On Nov. 11, 2024, experts successfully at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility completed the docking mechanism jettison test, designed to connect and disconnect the Orion spacecraft to Gateway, a small space station that will orbit the Moon. They also completed the forward bay cover jettison test on Nov. 23, 2024, which is the last piece that must eject right before parachutes deploy, and successfully tested Orion’s uprighting system. Credit: NASA/Jordan Salkin “This event would be the maximum stress and highest load that any of the systems would see,” said Robert Overy, Orion ETA project manager, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “We’re taking a proven vehicle from a successful flight and pushing it to its limits. The safety of the astronaut crew depends on this test campaign.”
Experts conducted tests that simulated the noise levels of an abort during launch in addition to the electromagnetic effects of lightning strikes. The test campaign also jettisoned the test article’s docking module and parachute covers, as well as the crew module uprighting system, which consists of five airbags on top of the spacecraft that inflate upon splashdown.
“It’s been a successful test campaign,” Overy said. “The data has matched the prediction models, and everything operated as expected after being subjected to nominal and launch abort acoustic levels. We are still analyzing data, but the preliminary results show the vehicle and facility operated as desired.”
On. Nov. 23, 2024, after subjecting the Orion test article to launch abort-level acoustics, experts tested the functionality of the forward bay cover, which is the last piece that must eject before parachutes deploy. Credit: NASA/Jordan Salkin and Quentin Schwinn Testing Orion at such high acoustic levels was a major milestone for Artemis. The Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility, the world’s most powerful spacecraft acoustic test chamber, was built in 2011 in anticipation of this specific test campaign.
“These tests are absolutely critical because we have to complete all of these tests to say the spacecraft design is safe and we’re ready to fly a crew for the first time on Artemis II,” said Michael See, ETA vehicle manager, Orion Program. “This is the first time we’ve been able to test a spacecraft on the ground in such an extreme abort-level acoustic environment.”
The Orion Environmental Test Article with Launch Abort System installed moves to the Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility, the most powerful spacecraft acoustic test chamber in the world, on Sept. 9, 2024, at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Credit: NASA/Jordan Salkin and Quentin Schwinn Part of NASA Glenn, Armstrong Test Facility is home to the world’s largest and most powerful space environment simulation chambers capable of testing full-sized spacecraft for all the extreme conditions of launch and spaceflight. The facility not only houses an acoustic test chamber, but also a thermal-vacuum chamber and spacecraft vibration system.
“The facility is unique because there’s no other place in the world capable of testing spacecraft like this,” Overy said. “Armstrong Test Facility is a one-stop-shop for all your testing needs to prepare your spacecraft for the severe and challenging journey to and from space.”
Orion’s Round-Trip Journey to Ohio
This is not the first time Orion has been inside the walls of the Space Environments Complex at Armstrong Test Facility. The spacecraft underwent mission-critical testing in 2019, where it was subjected to extreme temperatures and an electromagnetic environment before it launched on Artemis I in 2022.
“I remember when it first arrived, the gravity of its importance really hit home,” said Joshua Pawlak, test manager, NASA Glenn. “I thought to myself, on future Artemis missions, astronauts will be inside Orion heading to the Moon, and they’ll be depending on it for survival.”
Pawlak was a mechanical test engineer when Orion made its first trip to the Sandusky facility. He participated in planning and coordinating testing of the vehicle and trained personnel. He managed the vehicle from the moment it arrived, through testing, and up until it departed for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Joshua Pawlak poses in front of the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket on Nov. 16, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: Joshua Pawlak “When it returned, I felt like I had a small part in this really big and exciting thing,” Pawlak said. “Seeing it come back blackened and scarred from the harsh environment of space was incredible. Space is not a friendly space, and I felt proud knowing that if there were astronauts on that vehicle, they would have survived.
After the Orion test article departs from Glenn, it will head to Kennedy for additional testing.
“When Artemis II launches and those astronauts are sitting on board, I’ll know that I did everything I could to ensure the vehicle is ready for them and going to perform as expected,” Pawlak said. “That’s why I do what I do.”
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By NASA
5 Min Read NASA DAVINCI Mission’s Many ‘Firsts’ to Unlock Venus’ Hidden Secrets
The surface of Venus is an inferno with temperatures hot enough to melt lead. This image is a composite of data from NASA’s Magellan spacecraft and Pioneer Venus Orbiter. Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s DAVINCI — Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging — mission embodies the spirit of innovation and exploration that its namesake, Leonardo da Vinci, was famous for.
Scheduled to launch in the early 2030s, DAVINCI will explore Venus with both a spacecraft and a descent probe. DAVINCI’s probe will be the first in the 21st century to brave Venus’ atmosphere as it descends from above the planet’s clouds down to its surface. Two other missions, NASA’s VERITAS and ESA’s (European Space Agency) Envision, will also explore Venus in the 2030s from the planet’s orbit.
The DAVINCI spacecraft will study Venus’ clouds and highlands during two flybys. It also will release a spherical probe, about 3 feet wide, that will plunge through the planet’s thick atmosphere and corrosive clouds, taking measurements and capturing high-resolution images of the Venusian surface as it descends below the clouds.
Here are some of DAVINCI’s coming “firsts” in Venus exploration:
Exploring Solar System’s One-of-a-Kind Terrain
The DAVINCI mission will be the first to closely explore Alpha Regio, a region known as a “tessera.” So far found only on Venus, where they make up about 8% of the surface, tesserae are highland regions similar in appearance to rugged mountains on Earth. Previous missions discovered these features using radar instruments, but of the many international spacecraft that dove through Venus’ atmosphere between 1966 and 1985, none studied or photographed tesserae.
Thought to be ancient continents, tesserae like Alpha Regio may be among the oldest surfaces on the planet, offering scientists access to rocks that are billions of years old.
By studying these rocks from above Alpha Regio, DAVINCI scientists may learn whether ancient Venus had continents and oceans, and how water may have influenced the surface.
Photographing One of the Oldest Surfaces on Venus
The DAVINCI probe will capture the first close-up views of Alpha Regio with its infrared and optical cameras; these will also be the first photos of the planet’s surface taken in more than 40 years.
With surface temperatures reaching 900° F and air pressure 90 times that of Earth’s, Venus’ harsh environment makes exploration challenging, while its opaque atmosphere obscures direct views. Typically, scientists rely on radar instruments from Earth or Venus-orbiting spacecraft to study its terrain.
But DAVINCI’s probe will descend through the atmosphere and below the clouds for a clear view of the mountains and plains. It will capture images comparable to an airplane’s landing view of Earth’s surface. Scientists will use the photos to compile 3D maps of Alpha Regio that will provide more detail than ever of Venus’ terrain, helping them look for rocks that are usually only made in association with water.
Unveiling Secrets of Venus’ Mysterious Lower Atmosphere
The DAVINCI mission will be the first to analyze the chemical composition of Venus’ lower atmosphere through measurements taken at regular intervals, starting from approximately 90,000 feet above the surface and continuing until just before impact.
This region is critical because it contains gases and chemical compounds that may originate from Venus’ lower clouds, surface, or even subsurface.
For example, sulfur compounds detected here could indicate whether Venusian volcanoes are currently active or were active in the recent past. Noble gases (like helium or xenon), on the other hand, remain chemically inert and maintain stable concentrations, offering invaluable clues about Venus’ ancient history, such as the planet’s past water inventory.
By comparing Venus’ noble gas composition with that of Earth and Mars, scientists can better understand why these planets — despite forming from similar starting materials — evolved into dramatically different worlds.
Moreover, DAVINCI’s measurements of isotopes and trace gases in the lower atmosphere will shed light on Venus’ water history, from ancient times to the present, and the processes that triggered the planet’s extreme greenhouse effect.
State-of-the-Art Technology to Study Venus in Detail
Thanks to modern technology, the DAVINCI probe will be able to do things 1980s-era spacecraft couldn’t.
The descent probe will be better equipped than previous probes to protect the sensitive electronics inside of it, as it will be lined on the inside with high-temperature, multi-layer insulation — layers of advanced ceramic and silica fabrics separated by aluminum sheets.
Venus’ super thick atmosphere will slow the probe’s descent, but a parachute will also be released to slow it down further. Most Earth-friendly parachute fabrics, like nylon, would dissolve in Venus’ sulfuric acid clouds, so DAVINCI will have to use a different type of material than previous Venus missions did: one that’s resistant to acids and five times stronger than steel.
Read More: Old Data Yields New Secrets as NASA’s DAVINCI Preps for Venus Trip
By Lauren Colvin, with Lonnie Shekhtman
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the principal investigator institution for DAVINCI and will perform project management for the mission, provide science instruments, as well as project systems engineering to develop the in-situ probe flight system that will enter the atmosphere of Venus. Goddard also leads the overall science for the mission with an external science team from across the United States. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado, will build the carrier/relay spacecraft. DAVINCI is a mission within the Discovery Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
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By NASA
At Goddard Space Flight Center, the GSFC Data Science Group has completed the testing for their SatVision Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA) Foundation Model, a geospatial foundation model for coarse-resolution all-sky remote sensing imagery. The team, comprised of Mark Carroll, Caleb Spradlin, Jordan Caraballo-Vega, Jian Li, Jie Gong, and Paul Montesano, has now released their model for wide application in science investigations.
Foundation models can transform the landscape of remote sensing (RS) data analysis by enabling the pre-training of large computer-vision models on vast amounts of remote sensing data. These models can be fine-tuned with small amounts of labeled training and applied to various mapping and monitoring applications. Because most existing foundation models are trained solely on cloud-free satellite imagery, they are limited to applications of land surface or require atmospheric corrections. SatVision-TOA is trained on all-sky conditions which enables applications involving atmospheric variables (e.g., cloud or aerosol).
SatVision TOA is a 3 billion parameter model trained on 100 million images from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This is, to our knowledge, the largest foundation model trained solely on satellite remote sensing imagery. By including “all-sky” conditions during pre-training, the team incorporated a range of cloud conditions often excluded in traditional modeling. This enables 3D cloud reconstruction and cloud modeling in support of Earth and climate science, offering significant enhancement for large-scale earth observation workflows.
With an adaptable and scalable model design, SatVision-TOA can unify diverse Earth observation datasets and reduce dependency on task-specific models. SatVision-TOA leverages one of the largest public datasets to capture global contexts and robust features. The model could have broad applications for investigating spectrometer data, including MODIS, VIIRS, and GOES-ABI. The team believes this will enable transformative advancements in atmospheric science, cloud structure analysis, and Earth system modeling.
The model architecture and model weights are available on GitHub and Hugging Face, respectively. For more information, including a detailed user guide, see the associated white paper: SatVision-TOA: A Geospatial Foundation Model for Coarse-Resolution All-Sky Remote Sensing Imagery.
Examples of image reconstruction by SatVision-TOA. Left: MOD021KM v6.1 cropped image chip using MODIS bands [1, 3, 2]. Middle: The same images with randomly applied 8×8 mask patches, masking 60% of the original image. Right: The reconstructed images produced by the model, along with their respective Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM) scores. These examples illustrate the model’s ability to preserve structural detail and reconstruct heterogeneous features, such as cloud textures and land-cover transitions, with high fidelity.NASAView the full article
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By NASA
On Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, a team returns the Artemis II Orion spacecraft to the Final Assembly and Test cell from a vacuum chamber inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it underwent vacuum testing. NASA/Eric Hernandez NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II test flight returned to the Final Assembly and System Testing (FAST) cell following completion of the second round of vacuum chamber testing on Dec. 5 inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After returning to the FAST cell, the four main batteries – which supply power to many Orion systems – were installed in the crew module. The batteries returned to NASA Kennedy from their supplier, EaglePicher Technologies, earlier this month. Solar array wings will also be installed onto the spacecraft by international partner ESA (European Space Agency) and its contractor Airbus in early 2025.
The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.
Image credit: NASA/Eric Hernandez
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By European Space Agency
What’s harder than flying a single satellite in Earth orbit? Flying two – right beside each other, at proximities that would normally trigger collision avoidance manoeuvres.
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