NASA says the engineering development unit of its DAVINCI probe has been through a major thermal evaluation. This is the spherical vessel built to drop through the atmosphere of Venus. The team placed the test article, about the size of a yoga ball, inside a ceramic-lined chamber with walls blackened by earlier tests. They then raised the temperature step by step to 465 °C (869 °F).
That target was chosen on purpose. It matches the typical surface temperature of Venus, the hottest planet in the solar system. On its way down, the probe has to keep its instruments running as it falls through ever hotter and denser layers of atmosphere.
DAVINCI stands for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging. During its descent the probe is meant to sample the atmosphere and photograph the terrain below. The data should help scientists work out how Venus evolved and whether it once had water. Testing an engineering unit lets the team see how the design handles extreme heat before it commits to flight hardware.
