Europe is ready to launch a spacecraft to Venus, the nearest planet to Earth, often described as the “evil twin” of our planet.
The Venus Express spacecraft will be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on October 26. It will enter the orbit of Venus next year and use scientific instruments to study the planet from the sky.
Venus has experienced a rapid greenhouse effect, prompting experts to believe it may offer clues about Earth’s evolutionary processes.
On the surface, Venus and Earth appear similar; they are of comparable size, mass, and originated from the same gas cloud. However, the similarities end there. Surface temperatures on Venus can reach up to 460 degrees Celsius, and its dense atmosphere creates surface pressure akin to being several kilometers deep in Earth’s oceans.
The Venus Express will conduct the first exploration of Venus’s atmosphere, shedding light on how this planet has developed its hellish climate.
The clouds that produce acid rain absorb less heat from the sun compared to Earth, despite Venus being the third planet from the sun. However, once absorbed, solar energy gets trapped in an atmosphere composed of 96% carbon dioxide. This has led to an instantaneous greenhouse effect, with volcanic activity also contributing to the rapid warming of the climate.
“Venus has evolved in a completely different way from our planet,” says scientist Andrew Coates. “In a way, it is the evil twin of Earth.”
The American Magellan spacecraft previously discovered thick lava flows on Venus. “I believe Venus has very active volcanism, but we are still not sure,” said Professor Fred Taylor from the University of Oxford.
The European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft will investigate this issue during a mission that lasts 2 Venus days, equivalent to 500 Earth days.
M.T. (according to BBC)
