ACCURATE SPECTRAL PARAMETERS FOR WATER VAPOR IN THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE ARE CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODELS. DESPITE THEIR IMPORTANCE SPECTRAL PARAMETERS FOR CO2-BROADENED WATER VAPOR HAVE NOT BEEN MEASURED IN THE HIGH TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE. THIS DATA DOES NOT EXIST BECAUSE IT REQUIRES THE UNIQUE COMBINATION OF A HIGH PRESSURE HIGH TEMPERATURE OPTICAL CELL WITH A BROADBAND HIGH RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY SYSTEM. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH SEEKS TO FILL THIS GAP BY COMBINING A BROADBAND HIGH RESOLUTION DUAL-FREQUENCY COMB SPECTROMETER WITH AN INNOVATIVE HIGH PRESSURE HIGH TEMPERATURE OPTICAL CELL CAPABLE OF REPLICATING CONDITIONS IN THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE. THIS FACILITY WILL BE USED TO MEASURE THE 1-2 MICRON SPECTRUM OF A WATER VAPOR-CO2 MIXTURE AT TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES IDENTICAL TO THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE. A NOVEL ABSORPTION MODEL WILL BE DEVELOPED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE NON-LORENZIAN ABSORPTION EFFECTS CAUSED BY THE HIGH PRESSURE HIGH TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENT. THIS ABSORPTION MODEL WILL BE COMBINED WITH A STATE OF THE ART MULTISPECTRAL FITTING SOFTWARE TO MAKE THE FIRST MEASUREMENTS OF THE SPECTRAL PARAMETERS OF CO2-BROADENED WATER VAPOR IN VENUS-LIKE CONDITIONS. THE AVAILABILITY OF THESE PARAMETERS WILL STRENGTHEN AND ENHANCE RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODELS FOR THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE. IN DOING THIS THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL HELP DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROCESSES AT WORK IN THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE AS WELL A GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF LIFE IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.