Venus and Earth are called twins due to their similar size and structures. NASA is set to send three missions to our neighboring planet to learn more about it.
NASA Will Send 3 Missions to Venus
NASA dropped a new video revealing its plan to send three missions to Venus. Lori Glaze, NASA's director of planetary science, discussed some interesting facts about the Earth's twin and how interesting it is. She noted that they wanted to know why Venus and Earth turned out very different from each other despite their similar size and structure.
Here are the three missions that NASA is planning in the next 10 years.
Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI)
This includes two major components. First, a spacecraft that will fly by Venus to capture its clouds and terrains. It will also act as a telecommunication hub for the missions.
The second is a special descent probe that will drop through Venus' thick atmosphere and collect data through its perilous environment.
Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS)
This mission will be the first NASA orbiter to visit the planet since the 1990s. The spacecraft will study Venus' history and help the researchers learn about its volcanoes and if it had water.
The mission will also involve the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the French Space Agency (CNES), all of which will contribute to VERITAS.
NASA supports European Space Agency's Envision. It aims to launch the early 2030s with the goal of learning why Venus is Earth's "evil twin." According to the video, it will study Venus' hostile atmosphere and inner core.
Why Venus is Earth's Evil Twin?
According to NASA's Solar System Exploration, Venus is often called "Earth's twin" due to their similarities in size and structure.
Venus is deemed Earth's "evil twin" because the two are very similar, but Venus is inhabitable, deeming researchers to say that it went bad.
As NASA puts it, something good happened on Earth because it supports life. The opposite can be said of Venus. Its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere drives the greenhouse effect. It is so hot that it can melt lead.
It has a solid surface covered with dome-like volcanoes, rifts, and mountains. It also has vast and ridged plateaus.
In addition, it is permanently covered with thick, toxic clouds of sulfuric acid at an altitude of 28 to 43 miles.
It is the hottest planet in the solar system because it traps heat, creating a runaway greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect makes the planet roughly 700°F (390°C) hotter than it would be without a greenhouse effect.
Unlike Earth, Venus is unhabitable. However, some scientists theorize that microbes might exist in its clouds where it's cooler, and the pressure is similar to Earth's surface. Phosphine is a possible proof of microbial life, which has been observed in the clouds.
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