Design of an atmospheric aerostatic probe for Venus exploration

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the closest to Earth. Its atmosphere is the densest, and the temperature on the surface of Venus is the highest of all the planets in the Solar System. Due to convection and thermal inertia of the dense atmosphere, the temperature on Venus does not change significantly between the day and night sides of the planet. The temperature of the upper layers of the atmosphere is about –45 °C. The minimum surface temperature is at least 400 °C. The pressure on the surface of the planet is 90 times higher than at the surface of the Earth. Due to the complexity of the functioning of spacecraft (SC) on the surface, the planet remains virtually unexplored. However, at an altitude of just over 50 km there is the tropopause – the boundary between the troposphere and the mesosphere. Here, the conditions are most similar to the conditions on the surface of the Earth. This is the optimal area for SC, where the temperature and pressure will be similar to those on Earth. It is most advisable to send balloon probes to this area to collect scientific information. The aim of the study is to develop a design for an aerostat probe that will provide long-term transmission of information from the tropopause of the Venusian atmosphere. The work includes a ballistic calculation of the descent trajectory of the spacecraft in the Venusian atmosphere and the trajectory characteristics. To determine the parameters of the descent trajectory, a program was written to calculate the differential equations of motion of the atmospheric probe. The work includes a design for an atmospheric probe and the order of its operation.