NASA’s decision to send two new robotic missions to Venus is an exciting development in the exploration of our planetary neighbor. The missions, named Davinci+ and Veritas, will investigate the planet’s atmosphere and geological features, with the goal of understanding how Venus became the hot and inhospitable planet it is today.
The selection of Venus as the destination for these missions was based on a peer-review process, and follows the recent discovery of water on the planet, which could potentially support life. By studying Venus, scientists hope to gain valuable insights into the mechanisms that drive planetary evolution and the potential for habitability on other planets in our solar system and beyond.
These missions will also mark the first time that NASA has sent probes to Venus in over 30 years, and the advances in technology since then will allow for more detailed and comprehensive investigations of the planet. This exciting development highlights the ongoing importance of space exploration and the potential for new discov
The recent decision by NASA to send two robotic missions to Venus comes in the wake of other discoveries and studies that have increased scientific interest in the planet. In September 2020, astronomers from the UK controversially detected phosphine gas in Venus’ clouds, leading to suggestions that it could be a sign of alien life.
Additionally, scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies have found evidence that Venus may have once had a shallow liquid-water ocean and a habitable surface temperature for up to two billion years. These findings were obtained through a model similar to those used to predict future climate change on Earth.
These discoveries and studies have helped to fuel renewed interest in Venus as a potential target for further exploration and investigation. By studying Venus and other planets in our solar system, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the processes that drive planetary evolution and the potential for habitability on other worlds.
As we continue to explore and study the vast expanse of space, discoveries like these remind us of the incredible complexity and diversity of the universe, and the ongoing need for continued research and exploration to better understand our place within it.
Michael Way, a researcher at GISS and the paper’s lead author, said: “Many of the same tools we use to model climate change on Earth can be adapted to study climates on other planets, both past and present.
“These results show ancient Venus may have been a very different place than it is today.”
The formation and evolution of Venus has long been a subject of scientific study and speculation. Scientists have theorized that the planet was formed from ingredients similar to Earth, but followed a different evolutionary path.
Measurements taken by NASA’s Pioneer mission to Venus in the 1980s suggested that the planet may have originally had an ocean. However, its proximity to the Sun meant that it received far more sunlight than Earth, leading to the evaporation of the planet’s early ocean and the escape of hydrogen to space.
As a result, carbon dioxide built up in the atmosphere, causing a runaway greenhouse effect that created the present conditions on Venus, including its hot and inhospitable surface.
Recent research by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies has also suggested that ancient Venus may have had more dry land overall than Earth, especially in the tropics. These findings provide valuable insights into the geological history of the planet and the mechanisms that have driven its evolution.
As we continue to explore and study our planetary neighbors, discoveries like these highlight the incredible complexity and diversity of our solar system, and the ongoing need for continued research and investigation to better understand our place within it.
A NASA press release added: “This type of surface appears ideal for making a planet habitable, there seems to have been enough water to support abundant life, with sufficient land to reduce the planet’s sensitivity to changes from incoming sunlight.”
Researchers simulated conditions of a hypothetical early Venus with an atmosphere similar to Earth’s, a day as long as Venus’ current day, and a shallow ocean consistent with early data from the Pioneer spacecraft.
Co-author Anthony Del Genio said: “In the GISS model’s simulation, Venus’ slow spin exposes its dayside to the Sun for almost two months at a time.
“This warms the surface and produces rain that creates a thick layer of clouds, which acts like an umbrella to shield the surface from much of the solar heating.
“The result is mean climate temperatures that are actually a few degrees cooler than Earth’s today.”
The last US probe to visit Venus was the Magellan orbiter in 1990, but since then, other spacecraft from Europe and Japan have orbited the planet and provided valuable insights into its geology and atmosphere.
The Davinci+ mission, one of the two new robotic missions scheduled to be sent to Venus by NASA by the end of the decade, will focus on measuring the planet’s atmosphere to gain insights into how it formed and evolved. The mission will also aim to determine whether Venus ever had an ocean, shedding light on its potential for habitability in the past.
Additionally, the Davinci+ mission may provide valuable insights into the controversial discovery of phosphine gas in Venus’ atmosphere by UK astronomers in 2020. By studying the planet’s atmospheric chemistry and noble gases, the mission may help to explain the presence of this potentially biogenic gas.
These new missions to Venus represent an exciting opportunity to expand our understanding of our planetary neighbor and the processes that have driven its evolution. As we continue to explore and study the vast expanse of space, discoveries like these remind us of the incredible complexity and diversity of the universe, and the ongoing need for continued research and exploration to better understand our place within it.
The Veritas mission, the other of the two new robotic missions scheduled to be sent to Venus by NASA, will focus on mapping the planet’s surface to better understand its geological history and the processes that have driven its evolution.
Using a form of radar, Veritas will chart surface elevations and investigate the potential for volcanic and seismic activity on the planet. By studying the planet’s topography and spectroscopy, the mission will provide valuable insights into how Venus developed so differently from Earth, despite having similar origins.
Together, the Davinci+ and Veritas missions represent an exciting opportunity to expand our understanding of Venus and the processes that have shaped our planetary neighbor. If the Davinci+ mission finds compelling evidence of the chemical phosphine in the Venusian clouds, it could potentially be a sign of life, highlighting the potential for habitability on other planets in our solar system.
As we continue to explore and study the vast expanse of space, discoveries like these remind us of the incredible complexity and diversity of the universe, and the ongoing need for continued research and exploration to better understand our place within it.
