Seismology has been ubiquitous on Earth for decades, and missions such as InSight have recently provided the same data for the inside of Mars. Understanding a planet’s inner workings is key to understanding its geology and climate. However, the inner workings of Venus, arguably our closest sister planet, have remained a mystery. The sulfuric acid … Continue reading 'Floating Seismometers Could Help Peer Into The Core of Venus'
It’s unnecessary to build an entire city simply to host some sensors collecting infrasound data, so a high-altitude balloon would serve the purpose nicely. That solves one of the most difficult challenges of exploring Venus – developing materials that can survive on its surface. NASA has spent millions of dollars developing radiation-hardened sensors that can withstand the extraordinary pressure and temperatures on the surface.
This begs the obvious question – how will the signal get from the ground to the sensors floating in the atmosphere? Earthquakes cause deafening sounds, which are then transmitted through the atmosphere at low frequencies. Sensitive microphones, like the ones aloft in the balloon, could read these signals.
Such an experiment was recently carried out on Earth, where an infrasound microphone could pick up signals from two earthquakes of magnitude 7.3 and 7.5, despite being 3,000 km away from the epicenter of the earthquakes up in the stratosphere. Using this experiment as a template, researchers could develop a similar system for use on Venus, with the associated changes necessary for that particular planet’s environment.
In addition, earthquakes with magnitudes above seven are considered large here on Earth, and it’s unclear if the seismometers could pick up smaller quakes, even here on our home planet. Venus might have the same range of resultant seismic activity, or it could be even more active but with less intensity, making the detection of less powerful quakes a priority. The JPL team has picked up aftershocks as low as magnitude 4.
Utilizing technologies developed on Earth in space exploration is always a good idea, and this seems to be a novel way of using these seismometers in a novel way. However, as of now, there are no plans for a mission utilizing these features, despite almost a dozen planned missions to Venus in the near future. For now, understanding the interior workings of our nearest sister planet will have to wait.
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