The secrets of Venus have been intriguing scientists, especially after Discover what is believed to be evidence of phosphine in your clouds. although was interrogatedThis discovery opens the door to the theory of the existence of microorganisms on the planet. Now, NASA has announced that it has chosen two new official missions to Venus under the Discovery Program.
Such as VERITAS and DAVINCI + . missions They were previously selected in 2020 by the US Agency to advance to the investigative stage. After a new selection process, taking into account the concepts presented by the researchers, all official missions will receive a budget of $500 million for their development and are expected to be launched into space between 2028 and 2030.
NASA presents that Mission Veritas (or “Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, Spectroscopy”) is designed to map the surface of Venus to determine its geological past, understand why it evolved so differently from Earth, and learn about active geological processes on the planet.
me and Mission DAVINCI + (or Venus Deep Atmosphere Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging Study) focuses on the atmosphere of Venus and aims to check whether the planet contains oceans.
“We are accelerating our planetary science program through extensive exploration of a planet that NASA has not visited in more than 30 years,” stresses Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s director of science. detail it NASA missions will use advanced technology to understand how Venus has evolved over time.
“It’s surprising how little we know about Venus, but the combined results of these missions will tell us more about the planet: from clouds in its sky to volcanoes at the surface, through its core,” says Tom Wagner, NASA’s Exploration Program Scientist. .
Portuguese researchers are also looking at Venus to understand how everything on this slowly rotating planet rotates with devastating winds very quickly in the clouds.