In the last year alone, scientists have made several important discoveries related to Mars. Webb made it
Bad reputation
The problem is that Venusreally "bad reputation". It is called the “toxic sister” of the Earth and is cited as an example of what will happen to our home if global warming is not stopped.
Its surface temperature is quite high,To melt lead, it is unlikely that scientists will insist on sending people to the fiery planet. In addition, the crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of sulfuric acid in the atmosphere make the surface of Venus completely uninhabitable.
An artist's representation of the surface of Venus. Illustration: ESA
However, according to The Guardian, the groupspace experts is actively campaigning; their goal is to shift the focus of space research away from Mars and first send a crewed mission to our nearest neighbor, Venus.
What is their plan?
Activists recently presented their argumentsat the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Paris. They stated that since Venus is much closer to Earth than Mars, a crewed mission to its “neighbor” could be completed in a short time and would provide valuable data for future missions to Mars.
Rover and helicopter on Mars. Illustration: NASA
So, get to Venus and backis possible in about a year, and the mission to the Red Planet and back will last about three years in total. The manned mission to "Sister" will allow scientists and astronauts to learn more about the impact of long-term deep space exploration on the human body in a short time. The problem is that people will not be able to land on Venus, but will simply fly around with a crew.
However it would become very valuablefrom a scientific point of view. Experts believe it may be possible to find microbial life in the clouds of Venus. Additionally, scientists want to know how a planet that was once thought to be very similar to Earth became the hell it is today.
Is someone doing this?
In fact, a private space companyRocket Lab is already working on a self-funded project to send a spacecraft to Venus for research. According to the company's plans, an unmanned mission will take place by next year.
If everything goes according to plan, Rocket Lab will becomethe first private space company to reach another planet, beating SpaceX. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are also working on missions to our “neighbor.”
All arguments for
Scientists from the campaign group discussedbenefits of flying to Venus at IAC. “Venus gets a bad rap because it has such a complex surface environment. NASA's current paradigm is a flight from the Moon to Mars. We're trying to imagine Venus as an additional target along the way," said Dr. Noam Isenberg of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
The scientist added that although the “sister” of the Earthis in the opposite direction from Mars, a crewed flyby of the planet will allow the spacecraft to perform a gravity assist maneuver, potentially reducing the flight time to the Red Planet. Thus, a crewed flight to Venus can easily be included in a mission to Mars.
Gravity maneuver is a purposefulchange in the trajectory and flight speed of a spacecraft under the influence of gravitational fields of celestial bodies. It was first successfully carried out in 1959 by the Soviet automatic interplanetary station Luna-3.
Does this idea have a future?
There is no definite answer, but anything is possible.Although the Johns Hopkins University professor admitted that a Venus flyby mission "is not yet supported," some representatives at NASA are willing to join their campaign. Including Alexander MacDonald, chief economist of the American Aerospace Agency, who chaired the IAC panel meeting.
In fact, Isenberg and MacDonald have justco-authored a paper titled "An Encounter with the Goddess" outlining the case for sending humans to Venus before they land on Mars for the first time to make us an extraterrestrial species.
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