Seismic wave detectability on Venus using ground deformation sensors, infrasound sensors on balloons and airglow imagers

The relatively unconstrained internal structure of Venus is a missing piece in our 32 understanding of the Solar System formation and evolution. To determine the seismic 33 structure of Venus’ interior, the detection of seismic waves generated by venusquakes is 34 crucial, as recently shown by the new seismic and geodetic constraints on Mars’ interior 35 obtained by the InSight mission. In the next decades multiple missions will fly to Venus 36 to explore its tectonic and volcanic activity, but they will not be able to conclusively re- 37 port on seismicity or detect actual seismic waves. Looking towards the next fleet of Venus 38 missions in the future, various concepts to measure seismic waves have already been ex- 39 plored in the past decades. These detection methods include typical geophysical ground 40 sensors already deployed on Earth, the Moon, and Mars; pressure sensors on balloons; 41 and airglow imagers on orbiters to detect ground motion, the infrasound signals gener- 42 ated by seismic waves, and the corresponding airglow variations in the upper atmosphere. 43 Here, we provide a first comparison between the detection capabilities of these different 44 measurement techniques and recent estimates of Venus’ seismic activity. In addition, we 45 discuss the performance requirements and measurement durations required to detect seis- 46 mic waves with the various detection methods. As such, our study clearly presents the 47 advantages and limitations of the different seismic wave detection techniques and can 48 be used to drive the design of future mission concepts aiming to study the seismicity of 49 Venus.