Atmospheric Flight on Venus

TITLE AND SUBTITLE:
Atmospheric Flight on Venus

AUTHOR(S):
Geoffrey A. Landis, Anthony Colozza, and Christopher M. LaMarre

REPORT DATE:
June 2002

FUNDING NUMBERS:
WU-755-A4-11-00

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES):
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field
Cleveland, Ohio 44135-3191

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER:
E-13213

SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES):
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, DC 20546-0001

REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED:
Technical Memorandum

SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER:
NASA TM-2002-211467
AIAA-2002-0819

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES:
Prepared for the 40th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reno, Nevada, January 14-17, 2002. Geoffrey A. Landis, NASA Glenn Research Center; Anthony Colozza, Analex Corporation, Brook Park, Ohio 44142; and Christopher M. LaMarre, University of Illinois, Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Champaign, Illinois 61820. Responsible person, Geoffrey A. Landis, organization code 5410, 216-433-2238.

ABSTRACT:
We propose a solar-powered aircraft system for the exploration of Venus. The atmosphere of Venus provides several advantages for flying a solar-powered aircraft. At the top of the cloud level, the solar intensity is comparable to or greater than terrestrial solar intensities. The atmospheric pressure makes flight much easier than on planets such as Mars. Also, the slow rotation of Venus allows an airplane to be designed for flight within continuous sunlight, eliminating the need for energy storage for nighttime flight. These factors make Venus a prime choice for a long-duration solar-powered aircraft. Fleets of solar-powered aircraft could provide an architecture for efficient and low-cost comprehensive coverage for a variety of scientific missions.

SUBJECT TERMS:
Venus; Aircraft

NUMBER OF PAGES:
18

PDF AVAILABLE FROM URL:
2002/TM-2002-211467.pdf
( 467 KB )
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