A new video from NASA makes the case that Venus is Earth’s “evil twin.”
nefarious moniker is kind of an apt description of why astronomers would investigate Vesper this decade. Scientists and engineers from NASA and the European Space Agency are preparing to send three new missions from the Sun to another rock. They want to know much more about the nearby planet, which resembles earth In so many ways, and yet so different.
The video touches on some terrifying but intriguing aspects of Venus. For one, it’s a runaway greenhouse effect. The 15-mile-thick (24 km) shroud of the atmosphere is composed of carbon dioxide and contains clouds of sulfuric acid. The planet produces temperatures hot enough to melt lead. Lori Glaze, NASA’s director of planetary science, said in video that the surface temperature of Venus can reach 900 °F (480 °C).
“So it’s a crazy place, but really interesting,” Glaze said. “And we really want to understand why Venus and Earth turned out to be so different.”
Connected, Scientists welcome ‘decade to Venus’ with 3 new missions on the way
At least three missions will fly to Venus in the next decade. NASA is da VinciThe acronym for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry and Imaging consists of two major components. First and foremost is a spacecraft that will fly by Venus, capturing data about the planet’s clouds and its terrain, in addition to acting as a telecommunications hub for the mission. The second is a special descent probe, which will plummet down through the dense atmosphere of Venus and collect data as it travels through the hazardous environment.
Another mission, called Veritas, will become the first NASA orbiter to visit Venus since the 1990s. VERITAS is short for Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy. The spacecraft will develop a bigger picture on Venus and its history, which scientists want to learn more about its volcanoes and determine whether Venus ever had water. The Italian Space Agency (ASI), the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French Space Agency (CNES) will also contribute to Veritas.
then there is to imagine mission from the European Space Agency (ESA). The NASA-backed mission targets a launch in the early 2030s. When it reaches Venus, Envision will try to learn why Venus became Earth’s “Evil Twin,” as explained in the NASA video. Specifically, it will study Venus’ hostile atmosphere and its inner core to see how the two planets could have formed in the same part of Venus The Solar System And with the same stuff, yet create wildly different realities.
Perhaps soon, these missions will let us marvel at Earth’s closest planetary neighbor.
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