An engineering model for NASA's DAVINCI Venus probe completed six furnace cycles that reached 465°C (869°F), the temperature expected during descent. NASA says the test reproduced the roughly hour-long heating profile and ended without damage; the unit was a development model, not flight equipment.
DAVINCI, short for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, is designed to release a probe into Venus's atmosphere. The probe must protect its instruments from intense heat while letting atmospheric gases enter through ports for measurement.
For the thermal test, engineers placed a yoga-ball-sized development unit in a ceramic-lined furnace at Rex Heat Treat in Bedford, Pennsylvania. The chamber rose to 465°C over about an hour, matching the rate at which the probe is expected to heat during descent. The campaign ran from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10, with five repeat cycles after the first.
More than 100 thermal sensors monitored hardware that simulated the instruments inside the probe. NASA reported that the model completed all six cycles without damage, supporting the thermal design.
The thermal result is one engineering milestone. NASA says the mission is still working toward approval to enter final design and fabrication.
Sources
NASA Science, "NASA's DAVINCI Beats Heat in Preparation for Blistering Venus Descent". Lead image: NASA/Mike Guinto; see NASA media-use guidance.