The surface of Venus is completely inhospitable for life, barren,
dry, crushed under an atmosphere about 90 times the pressure of Earth's
and roasted by temperatures two times hotter than an oven.
But was it always that way?
Could Venus once have been a twin of Earth,
a habitable world with liquid water oceans?
Here are 10 mysteries of Venus that NASA's scientists are still grappling with.
Did Venus ever host life?
To answer this question, we first need to understand the past environment on Venus.
This involves studying the atmosphere, geology and history of the planet.
Something NASA's DAVINCI mission plans on exploring in great detail.
Why did Venus evolve so differently than Earth?
Venus and Earth are similar
in size and density, and yet they are strikingly different.
Air pressure at the surface of Venus is 90 times that of Earth.
Venus rotates on its axis backwards compared to the other planets
in the solar system, and the surface of Venus is over 900
degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.
Hot enough to melt lead.
Venus's evolution through time
may help us understand how habitability evolves over time
and where we might find habitable planets beyond our solar system.
How did Venus form?
It is still not known if Venus was bombarded by comets
and asteroids rich in water
the way Earth was. Understanding the delivery of water to Venus
is important for evaluating its potential to host oceans in the past.
What is the atmosphere composition at Venus?
One of the biggest mysteries of Venus's atmosphere lies in the lower most
or deep atmosphere where carbon dioxide is heated and pressurized
to the point where it acts more like a hot liquid than a gas.
The DAVINCI probe will measure chemistry, pressure, temperature and dynamics
at least every 200 meters as it descends through Venus's atmosphere to the surface.
How are the rocks of Venus formed?
DAVINCI's high resolution imaging beneath
the clouds will test ideas about the role of water
in forming what may be ancient continental crust on Venus at human scales.
DAVINCI will study one of these tesserae, Alpha Regio,
To better understand its composition. How much water did Venus have?
Liquid water is essential for life.
We cannot assess Venus's past habitability without knowing
how much water Venus may have had and when and how it lost that water.
Scientists will use measurements of the atmosphere from The DAVINCI probe
to explore clues of the story of past water on our sister planet.
What is the nature of surface activity at Venus?
Earth's crust hosts a network of relatively thin plates
jostling around on the planet's surface in constant horizontal motion.
If similar plate tectonics exist on Venus,
the planet's crust must experience continental drift like earth.
Another key mystery about the surface of Venus is volcanism.
The two upcoming missions to Venus, DAVINCI and VERITAS
aim to understand the current volcanic activity at Venus.
What did the mountains look like on Venus?
Previous Venus Landers, Venera and Vega have taken photographs
of the Venetian plains from the surface, but DAVINCI's cameras will snap the first
ever high resolution aerial photos of a mountainous Tessera surface
as the probe descends over the rugged Alpha Regio Highlands region.
Are there Venus like planets beyond our solar system?
We will be able to relate what we discover at Venus
to Venus, like exoplanets observed by the James Webb Space Telescope.
If Venus shows signs of previous habitability,
that could mean these exoplanets might be habitable as well.
New mysteries we haven't thought of yet.
There are many new mysteries we can't even imagine right now
with NASA's newest missions to our sister planet.
There are plenty of new discoveries to be made.
Venus. Here we come.