European Space Agency’s EnVision mission to Venus
Recently it was decided by the US space agency NASA to send two missions to Venus. Now after this the European Space Agency (ESA) has also announced a probe called EnVision for the study of Venus.
EnVision
- EnVision is a space mission led by the European Space Agency. The cooperation of NASA is also being taken in this. The European Space Agency (ESA) will launch its probe by
- This mission will be launched by a rocket named ‘Ariane6’. The EnVision spacecraft will take about fifteen months to reach Venus and another 16 months to reach the orbit.
- The purpose of this mission is to monitor the trace gases found in the atmosphere of Venus, and to analyze the composition of the surface of Venus. This mission will explore how and why Venus and Earth have evolved so differently.
- It will provide a holistic view of the planet, from the inner core of the planet Venus to the upper atmosphere. For this, a radar provided by NASA will work to image and map the surface of the planet.
Other Missions to Venus
- ‘NASA’ has recently prepared missions named DAVINCI + and VERITAS to enter the atmosphere of the planet Venus.
- Earlier, a mission called ‘Venus Express’ was sent by the European Space Agency to the planet Venus. Its purpose was to conduct atmospheric research and locate volcanic hotspots on the planet’s surface.
- It is to be known that the first spacecraft ‘Venera series’ was sent by the Soviet Union to the planet Venus. After this, NASA’s Magellan mission (1990–1994) studied the planet Venus.
With these missions, scientists want to address the following questions:
- What conditions does Venus have to go through in order to reach its present state, and does it foretell any future—that Earth will undergo a similarly devastating greenhouse effect?
- Is Venus still geologically active?
- Was there ever an ocean or any life on this planet?
- What lessons can generally be learned about the evolution of terrestrial planets as we search for other outer planets like Earth?
Why is the planet Venus fascinated by scientists?
- Venus is Earth’s nearest neighbor in the inner Solar System and is similar to Earth in size and composition. But despite this, both the planets have developed separately.
- Venus is not habitable like Earth, but it has seen severe climate changes.
- It has developed a toxic atmosphere that is surrounded by clouds containing dense sulfuric acid.
PlanetVenus:
- Venus is the second brightest object in the sky after the Moon. It appears bright due to the dense cloud cover around it, light gets reflected and scattered by these clouds.
- It is the second closest planet to the Sun. Due to its similar size, it is called Earth’s twin planet.
How is Venus different from Earth?
- The atmosphere of Venus is very dense, due to atmospheric density, the flow of heat is not possible outwards. This is the reason that even after the planet ‘Mercury’, which is closest to the Sun, it is the hottest planet in the solar system.
- The surface temperature on Venus can reach 471 °C, which is enough to melt lead.
- Venus moves around the Sun in its orbit, but spins slowly backwards on its axis. This means that on Venus, Sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Venus has no moon and no ring around it.
Source: Indian Express
