Leading-Edge Vortex Lift
(LEVL) Probe
Designed to search for ammonia and record acidity levels in the clouds of Venus
With the flight characteristics of auto-rotating sycamore seeds, our LEVL probes offer scientists up to 80 minutes of flight time through the cloud deck in the Venusian atmosphere.
Designed to fit under the aft shell of the entry system
Thirty individual auto-rotating LEVL probes, each of 30 g mass, to measure cloud acidity, ammonia, large and small-scale fluctuations in wind, temperature & pressure.
LEVL Probes create lift and drag as they fall, slowing their descent in any atmosphere. If they are hit by a strong wind during their descent, they also have the ability to autocorrect and regain their spin.
SpaceAM has also designed the sensor systems, onboard each LEVL probe, to take measurements as and when the scientists require measurements. This can be controlled by either altitude or time during flight. Released at around the 70 km mark, our LEVL probes can cover a vast area to sample in the Venusian atmosphere. These probes will spin for up to 80 minutes from release through the cloud layer.
To find out more information about uses for LEVL Probes please make contact.
Research and development of the LEVL probe
Generation 1 LEVL Probe design 2019 -2021
Designed to answer the question…
Can a small, lightweight, free-falling sample probe be slowed enough in the Venusian atmosphere to run a 10 min microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) ion gas micro spectrometer, without adding a propulsion system or explosives and parachutes to the probe mass? The answer is yes, it can.
Peer Reviewed Paper Published in July 2022 - MDPI
Leading-Edge Vortex Lift (LEVL) Sample Probe for Venusian Atmosphere
https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/9/9/471
Generation 2 LEVL Probe design 2022 - 2024
A swarm of LEVL probes to measure winds and droplet acidity in the Venusian cloud layer.
-
LEVL Probe mass 30 g
-
Wingspan 200 mm
-
A “swarm” of 30 probes
Designed to Measure:
-
Large-scale wind vectors (from position of each probe in swarm)
-
Small-scale wind speeds (from an anemometer on each probe)
-
pH (with controlled exposure of sensing element)
-
Ammonia (with controlled exposure of sensing element)
-
Temperature & pressure
