Scientists test VERITAS Venus mission instruments on Iceland's volcanic terrain
By
Debra L. Buczkowski, Jennifer L. Whitten, Scott Hensley, Daniel C. Nunes, Marc Jaeger
Summary
In August 2023, a team of 18 scientists and engineers spent 15 days in Iceland's barren regions testing instruments and procedures for NASA's VERITAS mission, which will study Venus's surface from orbit. The team sampled and analyzed lava flows in rugged Icelandic terrain that served as analogs for Venus's volcanic landscapes. This field campaign is a critical step for the VERITAS spacecraft, which aims to provide the first new data about Venus's surface in over 30 years.
Source
bskyScientists test VERITAS Venus mission instruments on Iceland's volcanic terraineos.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledIn August 2023, 18 scientists and engineers spent 15 days in barren regions of Iceland to test how well instruments on the VERITAS spacecraft will perform when investigating the surface of Venus from orbit.
This testing was a critical step in developing procedures to enhance the science output of the mission, which will provide the first new data about the planet's surface in more than 3 decades.
Among other tasks, the team—including us—traversed rugged Icelandic terrain to sample lava flows for analysis on-site.
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