The most inhospitable planet in the solar system will be able to explore the most reliable spacecraft. AREE probe - hi-tech without microcircuits and wires. No electronics, just old school and loyal mechanics.
The wrong planet was called Venus: the character of our closest neighbor inspires not love, but rather awe. And her main "trouble" was the atmosphere. Incredibly dense, it is composed of carbon dioxide and creates a deadly greenhouse effect, deadly temperatures and pressures. Hurricanes, whose speed can exceed 700 km / h, carry dense clouds of sulfurous gases, which are fueled by a record number of volcanoes for the planets of the solar system. All this makes it difficult to study Venus even from orbit, not to mention the descent vehicles. But the more sacrifices are brought to her from the Earth.
For the first time, this difficult planet was visited by the Soviet station "Venera-3", which crashed on its surface in 1966. The next spacecraft died in the atmosphere, and only the seventh, although it was damaged during landing, worked for about 20 minutes more, transmitting new frightening data about the local climate. But the main hero of the exploration of the neighboring planet was "Venus-9", which in 1975 lasted for two hours. The probe needed appropriate protection: for example, the on-board camera was hidden behind a 12-centimeter composite thermal insulation, in a sealed compartment with molten salt to absorb heat and a titanium shell that could withstand enormous pressure.
Soviet probe * Venera-9 * and panoramas taken by it.
The shooting was carried out through thick quartz glass, through a periscope filled with the same molten salt, but by the end of the work the camera still heated above 60 ° C and died. The panoramas she received showed the earthlings for the first time the real surface of Venus, and scientists were finally convinced that nothing good awaits us here. If we want to better explore this violent world, the lander will need other solutions - new heat-resistant electronics or time-tested mechanics, like the AREE project, built using the high technologies of the past.
Climatic nightmare
Venus is called the "evil twin" of the Earth: once it was much quieter, with a temperate climate and even water bodies. However, at some point, the greenhouse effect seemed to break loose and in a matter of millions of years brought the planet to its present terrible state. Scientists have long been trying to figure out a detailed scenario for this climatic disaster.
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Super rotation of the atmosphere
Virtually the entire Venusian atmosphere is one giant hurricane, the speed of which exceeds the speed of rotation of the planet itself. It is believed that its movement is fueled by the Sun: Venus is about a third closer to it than us, but at the same time receives twice as much energy. However, the details of this mechanism are still poorly understood.
Thunderstorms and lightning
In the drawings of Venus, the sky is constantly littered with lightning. Indeed, in its atmosphere there are frequent but irregular bursts of activity that are usually associated with lightning. However, no one has ever seen the flares themselves. In addition, the accumulation of charge and the appearance of lightning in its sulfurous clouds should occur differently than in our water clouds.
Retrograde rotation
The planets of the solar system rotate in the same direction as the star itself. Only Venus and Uranus exhibit reverse, retrograde rotation. It is possible that the neighboring planet got into such an "unnatural position" after collision with some massive celestial body. It would be interesting to find geological traces of this collision.
Traces of life
If Venus was indeed a fairly comfortable world in the past, then could life appear here? Subsequently, when the planet's climate became unbearable, some organisms could survive in the upper, rather calm layers of the atmosphere. However, this problem will be dealt with by future atmospheric and orbital probes, and the reentry AREE will work on the surface.
Energy production
The solar and nighttime parts of the Venusian day last 50 hours, which can create big problems for probes powered by solar panels. The use of radioactive sources (RTGs) at local temperatures requires not yet existing technical solutions. But the hurricane does not abate here, promising a constant flow of energy from the wind generator. AREE will use a Savonius vertical rotor that is resistant to sharp gusts and high speeds, the axis of which will pass through the center of gravity of the vehicle. It is estimated that it will be able to deliver about 3.2 Wh: to overcome 100 m, the probe will need 7.9 hours of charging, and it will be able to move in 8-hour cycles, passing in 24 hours up to 300 m. If AREE serves on Venus at least three years, he will be able to travel up to 100 km and explore not only the plains, but also tesserae north of Mount Sekhmet. Estimated system mass: 30 kg.
Savonius rotor, 1929
Control system
The first computing devices were mechanical and used complex gear wheel systems. They reached their peak during the Second World War, when simple and reliable mechanisms were used in scopes for bombing and artillery shooting. Since then, they have been largely supplanted by silicon electronics, but the approach itself may be ideal for an extreme space probe. For example, when one of the tracks hits an obstacle, the transmission will “feel” it, which will automatically switch it to reverse, without requiring the most complicated calculations that are carried out by much more advanced rovers. Even clocks for the operation of internal systems are supposed to use mechanical ones, similar to the old chronometers of John Harrison, only more compact, accurate and in a completely sealed case. Estimated system mass: 46 kg.
Antikythera Mechanism, 100 BC e.
Data and communication
The first obvious way of analog storage and transmission of data is offered, of course, by phonographs (1877): data can be recorded on a metal plate and sent on balloons into the upper atmosphere, where it can be picked up by an atmospheric probe. However, this approach was found to be too complex, expensive and unreliable. Most likely, AREE uses an even more ancient invention and will store information in the form of a combination of needles on the surface of a rotating cylinder or ribbon - like a barrel organ. To transmit them to the orbital probe, the device is planned to be equipped with corner reflectors. By changing their position, AREE will allow the "partner" in orbit to see a binary signal and receive data, as was done back in the days of the telegraph and Morse code - at a speed of about 1000 bit / s. The weight of the system is tentatively estimated at 79 kg.
Morse code, 1838.
Scientific equipment
Making basic measurements without using electronic sensors is not difficult. And on Earth, seismometers, thermometers, barometers, anemometers for measuring wind speed are often mechanical. The study of the chemical composition of the atmosphere or dust will allow solid indicators, wires containing substances that accurately bind the desired molecules and become fragile, which can be easily detected by a spring dynamometer. However, full-fledged mineralogical research will still require both electronics and electricity for power. For this, the possibilities of placing small solar panels and heat-resistant microcircuits on board AREE are being considered - however, the scientific load of the mission will be worked out at the next stages of work. Weight estimate: 150 kg.
Thermometer, barometer, XVI-XVII centuries.
Transmission and movement
AREE originally planned to use mechanical walking devices. However, after consultation with the world-renowned specialist in such systems, the Dutch artist Theo Jansen, they were found to be insufficiently reliable. The current mission concept is based on the "diamond-shaped" tanks of the First World War, with tracks wrapped around the hull around the perimeter. They are calculated to allow AREE to overcome obstacles up to 1.1 m high and roll over when capsized, without interfering with the centrally located wind turbine. The force on the wheels can be transferred directly from the rotor or spring. Approximate system weight: 327 kg.
Tank Mark I, 1916.
Energy storage
A spring accumulator made of a heat-resistant composite: its energy storage density (about 0.75 W / kg) is higher than that of gravitational systems with weights, and its simplicity and reliability is higher than that of rotating flywheels. The use of additional drives for powering resource-intensive operations is considered. Among them - a pneumatic accumulator, using the pressure of compressed air in a sealed chamber, and batteries on molten sodium salts. "If the appropriate technologies are created at the right time," the developers add. Weight estimate: 25 kg.
Spring watch, approx. 1500 year.
Roman Fishman