Title :
High temperature, wireless seismometer sensor for Venus
Author :
Ponchak, George E. ; Scardelletti, Maximilian C. ; Taylor, Brandt ; Beard, Steve ; Meredith, Roger D. ; Beheim, Glenn M. ; Hunter, Gary W. ; Kiefer, Walter S.
Author_Institution :
NASA Glenn Res. Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
Abstract :
Space agency mission plans state the need to measure the seismic activity on Venus. Because of the high temperature on Venus (462°C average surface temperature) and the difficulty in placing and wiring multiple sensors using robots, a high temperature, wireless sensor using a wide bandgap semiconductor is an attractive option. This paper presents the description and proof of concept measurements of a high temperature, wireless seismometer sensor for Venus. A variation in inductance of a coil caused by the movement of an aluminum probe held in the coil and attached to a balanced leaf-spring seismometer causes a variation of 700 Hz in the transmitted signal from the oscillator/sensor system at 426°C. This result indicates that the concept may be used on Venus.
Keywords :
Venus; astronomical instruments; planetary surfaces; seismology; seismometers; wide band gap semiconductors; Venus; aluminum probe; average surface temperature; balanced leaf-spring seismometer; high temperature circuits; high temperature wireless seismometer sensor; high temperature wireless sensor; multiple sensors; oscillator system; seismic activity; sensor system; space agency mission plans; wide bandgap semiconductor; Inductance; Oscillators; Probes; Seismic measurements; Temperature measurement; Temperature sensors; Venus; Seismometer; Wireless Sensor; high temperature circuits; oscillator;
Conference_Titel :
Wireless Sensors and Sensor Networks (WiSNet), 2012 IEEE Topical Conference on
Conference_Location :
Santa Clara, CA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4577-1237-1
DOI :
10.1109/WiSNet.2012.6172141
