NASA’s DAVINCI probe passed a key test, demonstrating it can survive the extreme temperatures of Venus during its descent.
Why it matters. The successful test ensures the probe can withstand the harsh conditions of Venus, advancing the mission to study the planet’s atmosphere.
An engineering model of NASA’s DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) descent probe passed a key test that ran from Aug.
An engineering model of NASA’s DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) descent probe passed a key test that ran from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10, showing it can survive the extreme temperatures of Venus.
The DAVINCI team put the yoga ball-sized vessel into a ceramic-lined chamber with heat-scorched walls and ratcheted up the temperature to 869 F, or 465 C, over the course of about an hour — the same pace the probe will heat up during its descent to the surface of Venus.
