By Staff Writer: Jerri Clewis
Often considered Earth’s twin, Venus is one of our closest planetary neighbors picking up renewed interest because of the information it can provide about our planet and even the future of others.
On the surface, Venus looks to be a twin or close relative of Earth due to a similarity in structure and size, but things get a bit more complicated once you look past the thick yellow clouds of the planet, according to NASA.
In the past, Venus may have been a habitable ocean world, just like Earth, but researchers believe a runaway greenhouse effect turned all its surface water into vapor. Venus is now a hellscape with a surface hot enough to even melt lead and a reputation as the hottest planet in our solar system.
But how did Venus turn out that way?
The ingredients for life were there, but somehow, the atmosphere became toxic and enshrouded in thick sulphuric acid-rich clouds, according to The European Space Agency. It’s a frightening puzzle in the story of how planets can change over time.
Researchers hope studying what happened could reveal more about the evolution of terrestrial planets. They might even be able to discover what might be in store for Earth should a catastrophic greenhouse effect come to pass.
The last time Venus received a major space mission was almost three decades ago, but exploration will be kicking up over the next few years, according to NASA. NASA has planned two missions, VERITAS and DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gasses, Chemistry, and Imaging Plus), to study the surface of Venus and its geologic history.
VERITAS will pay extra attention to Venus’ geologic history to understand why it developed differently than Earth, and DAVINCI+ may finally discover if the planet did have an ocean in the past and what may have happened to the water.
Both are due to launch sometime after 2030.
The biggest mission of the next decade will be ESA’s Cosmic Vision Program in the form of EnVision, which will orbit around Venus and provide a holistic view of the planet from its inner core to its upper atmosphere to determine how and why Venus evolved the way it did, according to The European Space Agency.
If all goes well, we may learn much about our planet and other Earth-like exoplanets. The information may even help us to understand climate change on Earth.