BST’s proposal for a planetary UAS is based on dynamic soaring technology. Basically, dynamic soaring involves taking advantage of wind shear to generate lift and velocity.
This technology is actually used by birds, here on Earth, as well as operators of radio-controlled gliders, but glider pilots have occasionally been able to soar dynamically in meteorological wind shears at higher altitudes.
Albatrosses and other seabirds that soar dynamically also have a skeletal structure that allows them to lock their wings when they are soaring, so the bird can continue flying almost indefinitely, and for several thousand miles, without having to put in much effort besides steering.
BST’s solution
“Black Swift Technologies has provided aerial solutions for wildland fires, volcanic observations, tornadoes, and hurricanes — some of the most extreme phenomena on Earth,” BST CEO Jack Elston said in a statement. “This mission is a natural extension of our focus, only now we are concentrating on the extreme conditions of Venus.”
So what kind of planetary conditions will BST have to factor into the development of an UAS? Venus has the hottest surface temperature of any planet in the solar system -at 873 degrees Fahrenheit (467 degrees Celsius).
However, the atmospheric pressure and temperature at about 50km to 65km (30 to 45 miles) above the surface of the planet is nearly the same as it is on Earth This makes the upper atmosphere of Venus more Earth-like than even Mars, with its dry and frigid surface.
Dealing with “super-rotation”
According to Daily Camera, NASA has merely provided the company with the basic specifications for the kind of unmanned aerial vehicle needed, like the size, weight, and payload minimum required of the drone.
“They’re looking for vehicles to explore just above the cloud layer,” said Ellston, adding that NASA was particularly eager “to look for organic material or evidence of that material in the upper atmosphere.”
The contract is a six-month, $125,000 deal funded from the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research program which was established to “support scientific excellence and technological innovation.” The funding will cover the design of the physical drone and the required software to properly run it.
Venus’ atmosphere is primarily composed of carbon dioxide and nitrogen and is much denser and hotter than that of Earth. However, the planet’s upper atmosphere exhibits a phenomenon called “super-rotation,” rotating much faster (every 4 Earth days) than the planet itself (every 243 Earth days), according to Space.com.
The winds in the upper atmosphere blow at a rate of up to 220 mph (360 km/h). “The winds in the upper atmosphere of Venus are incredibly strong, which creates design challenges,” Elston added.
“Our solution will be designed to not only survive in the harsh wind environment but also simultaneously perform targeted sampling of the atmosphere while continuously extracting energy, even on the dark side of the planet.”
