DAVINCI

DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) is a proposed mission concept for an atmospheric probe to Venus.

DAVINCI would study the chemical composition of Venus' atmosphere during descent. The DAVINCI probe would travel through the Venus atmosphere, sampling the air, and returning measurements down to the surface. These measurements are important to understanding the origin of the Venus atmosphere, how it has evolved, and how and why it is different from Earth and Mars. DAVINCI’s measurements would reveal the history of water on Venus and the chemical processes at work in the unexplored lower atmosphere. Before it reaches the surface, the DAVINCI probe would take the first ever photos of the planet’s intriguing, ridged terrain (“tesserae”) to explore its origin and tectonic, volcanic, and weathering history.