The planet Venus – the second closest to the Sun – is shrouded in mystery, and part of these questions led scientists to baptize it the Earth’s “evil twin”.
The association of “brotherhood” between the two planets is due to the fact that Earth and Venus emerged from the same material in the solar system – like an egg that divides into two, in addition to having similar sizes and densities.
While Earth is 12,742 km in diameter, Venus is 12,104 km. The information is from the site specializing in Space science and NASA.
And why “evil”?
Unlike Earth, Venus is an inhospitable planet for humans to inhabit.
Its atmosphere has a 24 kilometer thick mantle made of carbon dioxide and clouds of sulfuric acid, causing a runaway greenhouse effect.
This scenario produces scorching temperatures. On the Venusian surface, thermometers can hit something around 480 degrees Celsius, according to the Nasahot enough to melt even lead.
A study published in 2021 in Nature Magazine also pointed out that Venus never had oceans, contrary to perspectives until then.
“So it’s a crazy but very interesting place,” said Lori Glaze, NASA’s director of planetary science.
The agency itself published a video on YouTube explaining these reasons. Check it out below (in English).
Three missions to Venus in the next decade
To learn a little more about the neighboring planet – and find out why and how our planet is so different from it – three space missions are expected for the next 10 years.
“We really want to understand why Venus and Earth are so different,” said Glaze.
They will be captained by NASA and the ESA (European Space Agency), in addition to having collaboration with space companies from other countries.
At this time, a spacecraft will pass by Venus. The goal is to capture data about the planet’s clouds and terrain, acting as a sort of telecommunications hub for the mission.
In a second leg of the same mission, a special probe will descend through the thick atmosphere of Venus and collect data as it travels through the dangerous environment.
This time, NASA’s plan is to send an orbiter (a reusable orbital spacecraft) from the US agency’s space shuttle program.
The last time the agency sent such equipment to visit Venus was in the 1990s.
The purpose of the second mission is to map the history of Venus through its rock activities. Among the points to be studied, volcanoes will be analyzed and whether the planet once had water.
The Italian Space Agency (ASI), the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French Space Agency (CNES) will contribute to this.
The third and last mission scheduled for this decade – more specifically in the early 2030s – is EnVision, from the European Space Agency and supported by NASA.
The researchers intend to study the planet’s hostile atmosphere and its inner core.
Scientists want to know “how two planets can form in the same part of the solar system and with the same material, but produce totally different realities”, said a text on the Space website.
