GEER (Glenn Extreme Environments Rig): Current Operation and Proposed Community Test
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Ike Chi↗
Engineering topics
Ike Chi
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GEER (Glenn Extreme Environments Rig): An Introduction
Our solar system contains many examples of what may be called extreme environments. These can be examples of high temperature and pressure environments in places like the deep atmospheres of the gas giants or on the surface of Venus. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are examples of extreme cold conditions, a more common phenomena in space. Other extreme environments may be driven by high radiation conditions, or perhaps reactive atmospheric chemistry, which happens to be another feature of Venus. The extreme environments in the solar system pose interesting challenges to missions and technologists as they plan approaches to exploring and understanding our solar system.
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GEER (Glenn Extreme Environments Rig): Current Project Status
Venus is Earth’s closest planetary neighbor, and it is often considered as Earth’s twin for its size and density. However, the extreme Venus surface conditions (temperatures of ~ 460 o C, pressure of ~90 bars, and reactive atmospheric chemical species such as supercritical CO 2 , sulfuric acid, and other toxic elements) results in short duration of Venus lander missions to date to survive for only 127 minutes. It is essential to enable multiple longer-lived Venus surface missions to understand the planet’s origin, history, climate, and interior. A systematic approach for future Venus lander material selection is to characterize and study the reactivity of high potential materials by exposing materials to a simulated Venus surface conditions. Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER) at NASA’s Glenn Research Center (GRC) has been the leading facility simulating the high-temperature and pressure extremes of Venus as well as reproducing conditions of the gas mixture expected at the Venus surface since 2015. Here, we report on GEER’s recent accomplishments in assessing risks for future potential Venus missions and ongoing testing process and capability enhancement in supporting other planetary science missions.
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Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER)
World class facility and a Planetary Science Community's asset. GEER is capable of simulating a variety of temperature, pressure and atmospheric gas mixes to simulate extreme environments in the Solar System.
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Venus Atmosphere Experimental Simulation Performance of the Glenn Extreme Environment Rig
The rejuvenated exploration of Venus remains a high priority within NASA, as evidenced by the selection of two Discovery class missions (DAVINCI and VERITAS) to be launched within the decade, and the support of the European Space Agency’s EnVision mission. All three missions represent a transformative advancement in the understanding of Earth’s enigmatic neighbor. In order to maximize the science return from these missions, and to facilitate the infusion of new technologies into potential future missions, NASA’s Glenn Research Center operates a unique facility, the Glenn Extreme Environment Rig (GEER), to simulate ambient conditions at Venus’ surface for long durations.
GEER↗
Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER)
World class facility and a Planetary Science Community's asset. GEER is capable of simulating a variety of temperature, pressure and atmospheric gas mixes to simulate extreme environments in the Solar System.
GEER↗