Design and Testing of Conical Ribbon Parachute for Venus Atmospheric Entry Probe
Name
buffington-cbuff-masters-aeroastro-2026-thesis.pdf
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114.68 MB
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Adobe PDF
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9e744b3b078c1adc4ad3b199b23193a6
Author(s)
Buffington, Claire
Advisor(s)
Seager, Sara
Date Issued
February 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
To gather data on the atmospheric composition of Venus and search for signs of life in the clouds, the Morning Star Missions to Venus plan to send a series of small entry probes. For one mission, I propose using a conical ribbon parachute to extend the descent duration through the clouds for data collection. The main challenge is that concentrated sulfuric acid in the cloud layers makes traditional parachute materials unsuitable for Venus. In this work, I present the detailed design and loads analysis for a 5-m diameter conical ribbon parachute, sized to achieve 35 minutes in the clouds with a 30 kg probe. I also discuss the results of a high-altitude balloon subscale parachute test, which verified my predicted drag coefficient. Finally, I characterize the degradation of parachute materials in sulfuric acid. I found Vectran to be more resistant to sulfuric acid than Kevlar or polyester, which was used for the Pioneer Venus mission parachute. The first of its kind, a conical ribbon parachute made entirely of Vectran would be stable under high winds and tailored to the Venus environment.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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