ESA - Venus Express - Venus Express finds planetary atmospheres such a drag

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Venus Express finds planetary atmospheres such a drag

7 October 2010

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This animation demonstrates the orbital perturbations to Venus Express caused by the atmospheric drag experienced as the spacecraft skims the atmosphere of Venus. To experience the drag, the spacecraft must pass the planet at altitudes below 200 km.

The orbital perturbation results in a shrinking of the elliptical orbit of Venus Express. The farthest point from the planet lowers and the orbit becomes slightly more circular. This effect has been exaggerated in the animation.

Credits: Animation courtesy of P. Rosenblatt, Royal Observatory of Belgium

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This animation shows the alignment of the solar panels that makes Venus Express twist in the upper atmosphere of Venus. It is known as the torque technique and allows scientists to measure the density of the atmosphere at the North Pole of Venus, which Venus Express can be made to skim.

The technique requires the solar panels on board Venus Express to be positioned at an angle to each other. The effect is maximum when the angle corresponds to 90 degrees, with one of the panels perpendicular to the incoming flow and the other seeing it edge on.

Due to this difference, the atmosphere causes the spacecraft to turn. Instruments called reaction wheels inside Venus Express compensate for the twist, keeping the spacecraft in the right attitude. The readings from the reaction wheels are recorded so that scientists on Earth can translate them into a density estimate.

Credits: ESA

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This image, of the ‘eye of the hurricane’ on Venus was taken by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on board Venus Express.

This picture shows a region in the venusian atmosphere about 60 km from the surface, at a wavelength of about 5 micrometres. In this figure, the dipole assumes an eye-like shape and from here until the last image, it is possible to see how its shape evolves rapidly in a span of only 24 hours.

The yellow dot in the image indicates the location of the south pole.

Credits: ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA/Univ. of Oxford

Looking at Venus

ESApod: Venus Express

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