INTERNATIONAL VENUS RESEARCH GROUP (IVRG): DETAILED MAPPING TO DEVELOP GEOLOGICAL HISTORIES FOR 40+ AREAS OF VENUS

Radar data from the Magellan mission dataset has been utilized to provide significant insights into stratigraphic and structural relationships of Venus. These data have also raised significant unanswered questions which form the basis for the justification for the selection of the international armada of mission now approved for Venus exploration in the coming decade (i.e., VERITAS, DAVINCI, EnVision, Venera-D, Shukrayaan-1).

In preparation for these missions, it is important to sharpen the requirements necessary to address and resolve these many unanswered questions. Through targeted thematic mapping of key areas of Venus at a scale of ~1:500,000 or better, this goal can be accomplished with existing Magellan 100 m/pixel SAR image data. Also essential is the training of a new generation of young planetary geologic mappers who will provide the skills necessary to design, acquire and interpret the Venus mission data in the coming decades.

We have assembled a large group of undergraduate and graduate students from multiple countries who are interested in geological mapping of Venus over regional extents at a detailed mapping scale of approximately 1:500,000 or better. Our International Venus Research Group (IVRG) consists of representatives and teams from Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada), Brown University, (Providence, USA), Mount Royal University (Calgary Canada), Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakech, Morocco), Tomsk State University (Tomsk, Russia), and Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi, India). The goals of the IVRG, are both educational and scientific. The majority of the members are students (both graduate and undergraduate) and they are being trained in planetary mapping on Venus which will make them ideal candidates for roles in future missions and interpretation of the resulting data. The scientific results will help sharpen the questions for these future missions. The areas mapped in detail will be ideal foci for analysis in the upcoming missions.