a NASA will return to Venus for the first time in more than three decades.
On Wednesday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the last two options for unmanned planetary missions for the next few years: DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, both bound for Venus.
It was also announced on social networks. “In today’s call, we announced two new NASA missions to the solar system to study Venus, which we haven’t visited in over 30 years,” the post notes, along with a short video.
The agency explained that the DAVINCI + mission will analyze the planet’s atmosphere and VERITAS will map its surface.
in a day #Statovnasa Title, we announced two new Tweet embed Expeditions to study Venus, which we haven’t visited in over 30 years! DAVINCI+ will analyze the atmosphere of Venus, and Veritas will map the surface of Venus. pic.twitter.com/yC5Etbpgb8
– NASA (@NASA) June 2, 2021
As the New York Times wrote,Venus is considered a “twin” of planet Earth, due to their similar size, mass and composition. It is also the planet whose orbit is closest to Earth.
However, while Earth is temperate and often covered in water, Venus has a dense atmosphere made up of carbon dioxide, with a surface temperature of around 480°C.
After much interest in the planet in the 1970s, ’80s, and even ’90s – by the US and Soviet space agencies – attention turned to other planets.
Read also: Innovative helicopter suffers anomaly while flying on Mars
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