Gustavo Costa

Microanalysis of Geologic Materials Exposed to Surface Conditions on the Planet Venus

Crust/atmosphere interactions are thought to play an important role in the Venus greenhouse climate [1]. Limited in situ analyses of the surface of Venus and minimal determination of major and minor constituents in the lower atmosphere provide inadequate insight into possible dominant solid/gas reactions that can occur. Prior experimental modeling provides conflicting hypotheses as to the importance and chemical stability of geologic mineral phases on the surface of Venus [2,3,4]. For this study, we exposed a matrix of geologic material including minerals, rocks, and glasses for 42 days to Venus surface conditions using the Glenn Extreme Environment Rig (GEER) at NASA Glenn Research Center.