HIGHLIGHTS

In Venus's phospine clouds, there might be signs of life.

Only samples can validate the most recent hypothesis.

NASA and the European Space Agency are contemplating probe missions to Venus.

Why in NEWS ?

Scientists have long been fascinated by the search for life on worlds other than our own. However, most of their attempts have failed to provide solid evidence that life exists beyond Earth. From the Moon to Mars, scientists have launched a slew of probes and expeditions in an attempt to solve the puzzle. Venus, one of the most hostile planets in the solar system, has also piqued their interest. Venus has a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and a surface hot enough to melt lead, making life as we know it nearly impossible to preserve. Last year, however, researchers from Cardiff University in Wales made headlines when they detected major amounts of phosphine in Venus's atmosphere. They speculated that the colourless, odourless gas produced by the natural decomposition of organic matter on Earth may be an indication of life on our neighbouring planet.

Others, however, have questioned this theory, claiming that the planet's clouds are blanketing Venus in sulfuric acid particles that may burn a hole through human flesh. Still, Venus has been the most consistent contender for extraterrestrial life. According to a new research by MIT scientists, these clouds might be a habitat for life. According to the research, the planet's sulfuric acid may be neutralised by the existence of ammonia in its atmosphere. Anomalies in Venus' atmosphere have been noticed by scientists on several occasions. The existence of ammonia, a gas that was initially identified in the 1970s but has no known reason to be there, is the most perplexing of them all. Ammonia, according to the MIT researchers, is capable of chemical processes that might change Venus' clouds into a habitable environment. 'Our model predicts that the clouds are partially formed of ammonium salt slurries, which might be the consequence of biological ammonia synthesis in cloud droplets,' the researchers stated in an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. 'Life on Venus might be creating its own habitat,' they concluded.

Launching in 2029, NASA's DAVINCI mission to Venus will 'address long-standing questions about Earth's sister planet.'

The size and position of Earth and Venus are comparable, but that's where the similarities end. While Earth has plenty of water and life, Venus is arid and harshly hostile. It is significantly hotter than Earth since it is closer to the Sun. It has a carbon dioxide-dominated atmosphere, which makes the gas look liquid near the surface. In the early 2030s, NASA plans to send two missions to Venus to investigate the planet. VERITAS is one of them, and it would circle the earth. The other, DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), would send a probe into Venus's caustic atmosphere to measure numerous factors, including whether the planet formerly had water. NASA released a new video that explains how the DAVINCI mission will work and what it will do once it reaches Venus. It is scheduled to debut in 2029 and is named after the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It will make an attempt to address key concerns concerning Venus's origin, development, and makeup.

The DAVINCI mission will 'transport a comprehensive suite of sensors to Venus to explore long-standing issues about Earth's sister planet,' according to the video's commentary on NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's official YouTube channel. The DAVINCI mission is divided into two components, according to the video: the main spacecraft and a probe that will drop through Venus' atmosphere, collecting data and making observations. Two flybys of the planet will be conducted by the primary spacecraft in order to examine its atmosphere and nightside surface. The probe will be deployed seven months later for a one-hour fall through the clouds, sensing composition, temperatures, pressures, and winds at each layer of Venus's atmosphere. All of this information will be sent back to Earth, where scientists seek to unravel the mysteries of Earth's twin planet, including if it formerly had water and whether it may one day be habitable.

'Venus is waiting for us all,' the narrator says in the film, 'and DAVINCI is ready to transport us there and ignite a new Venus renaissance.' 'Some scientists believe Venus may have previously been more Earth-like in the past, with seas and comfortable surface temperatures,' according to the caption. The DAVINCI statistics will assist us in determining whether or not this fascinating idea is correct.' 'Venus now has a blistering surface hotter than your kitchen oven, and a complicated atmosphere 90 times thicker than Earth's comprised primarily of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds,' according to the description. The narrator claims near the end of the film that findings from this data collection will reveal if Venus was genuinely livable.