UCSB Science Line
Sponge Spicules Nerve Cells Galaxy Abalone Shell Nickel Succinate X-ray Lens Lupine
UCSB Science Line
Home
How it Works
Ask a Question
Search Topics
Webcasts
Our Scientists
Science Links
Contact Information
What kind of materials will I need in order to design a Rover which could be used on Venus? This is a school project and I do not know the materials which can resist high temperatures in Venus.
Question Date: 2017-11-27
Answer 1:

Temperature at the surface of Venus is hot, 872 F (467 C)! However, many steels and ceramics are capable of dealing with temperatures this hot. For example, blades in modern turbines withstand temperatures of ~2500 F (~1400 C), thanks to many years of scientific and engineering and design. It's not just the temperature though, as there is also a lot of sulfuric acid in the atmosphere, which is very corrosive to many metals and ceramics! This makes things more difficult. In order to build your rover, you'll have to overcome both the temperature and acid issues.

The next problem is to do with any devices you might want to have on your rover, because even if you can get the materials to withstand the temperatures and chemicals, you'll need to think of a way to run any motors and instruments at 900 F. You'll likely be doing this without any ventilation, because you wouldn't want to be pumping corrosive gases through your rover.

Computers we use on Earth are not designed for these temperatures, and in fact, many of the treatments for preparing computer chips are around this temperature, so you'll need to come up with a clever new way to make suitable computers as well.



Click Here to return to the search form.

University of California, Santa Barbara Materials Research Laboratory National Science Foundation
This program is co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and UCSB School-University Partnerships
Copyright © 2020 The Regents of the University of California,
All Rights Reserved.
UCSB Terms of Use