The plans for two new Venus research missions for the first in decades were announced on Wednesday by the US space agency NASA. Their goal will be to study the atmosphere and geological history of the Earth’s closest planetary neighbor.
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NASA will allocate approximately $ 500 million to the development of each of the two ventures called DaVinci + and Veritas. “They will allow the scientific community to study a planet we have not been to in 30 years,” said new NASA chief Bill Nelson, quoted by AFP, in an annual speech to agency employees.
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According to Reuters, citing NASA, DaVinci + will measure Venus’ dense atmosphere to better understand its evolution. This will include the precise testing of noble gases and other elements. It is to determine if there has ever been an ocean there. DaVinci + is also expected to provide the first high-resolution images of Venus’ unique geological features.
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NASA is planning two research missions to VenusNASA/Bill Ingalls/PAP/EPA
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“They will give us a better understanding of how the Earth has evolved”
Veritas will be tasked with mapping the planet to help determine its geological history and explain why it developed differently from Earth. ‘The mission will trace the topography across most of the planet’s surface to create a 3D reconstruction of the topography and confirm whether tectonic or volcanic processes are still present,’ explains NASA. “We will discover how this brutal world works” – informs the agency in its presentation.
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Veritas is also expected to determine if active volcanoes are releasing water vapor into the atmosphere. “We hope these missions will give us a better understanding of how the Earth has evolved and why it is now habitable, while other planets are not,” explained Bill Nelson.
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Bill Nelson confirmed that Artemis 1, the first mission in the US return to the moon program, will begin later this year.
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photo-source">Main photo source: NASA/Bill Ingalls/PAP/EPA
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