To the depths of Venus: Exploring the deep atmosphere and surface of our sister world with Venus Express

Abstract

With its comprehensive suite of near-infrared instruments, Venus Express will perform the first detailed global exploration of the depths of the thick Venusian atmosphere. Through the near-daily acquisition of Visible and Infrared maps and spectra, three infrared-sensing instruments—the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS), the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC), and the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS)—will comprehensively investigate the Thermal structure, meteorology, dynamics, chemistry, and stability of the deep Venus atmosphere. For the surface, these instruments will provide clues to the emissivity of surface materials and provide direct evidence of active volcanism. In so doing, ESA's Venus Express Mission directly addresses numerous high-priority Venus science objectives advanced by America's National Research Council (2003) decadal survey of planetary science.