A computer-generated image of the Sapas Mons volcano on Venus. In the coming decade, we will find new amazing truths behind Venus’ extreme environment. Image Credit: NASA/JPL
By Brooke Edwards
On June 2, space professionals and enthusiasts watched the State of NASA address given by NASA administrator Bill Nelson. Excited for the rumored announcement of a new planetary mission, everyone was shocked to hear NASA had a plan to launch not one but two missions that would explore our planetary neighbor, Venus, and Michiganders would be involved.
Soon the space world was buzzing with the revelation of VERITAS and DAVINCI+. These two planetary probes are expected to launch by 2030. The DAVINCI+ probe will carry an instrument designed by the University of Michigan and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The new missions stem from NASA’s discovery program, a peer-review system in which planetary missions are proposed and selected based on scientific value. For the first time since the Magellan probe visited Venus 30 years ago, NASA finally has plans to return!
Looking inside Venus
VERITAS, an orbiter designed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will study the internal workings of Venus, a planet similar in size to our Earth. Observations made by VERITAS may give us a inkling of how Venus and the Earth came to be.
Suzanne Smrekar, principal investigator of VERITAS at JPL, said: “You have these two planetary bodies ⸺ Earth and Venus ⸺ that started out nearly the same but have gone down two completely different evolutionary paths, but we don’t know why.”
Information gained from VERITAS could also help us understand planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy. As space telescopes (such as the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope) improve, and we discover more worlds, many questions will arise. Some of the answers may be found in our own solar system.
Assessing a planet’s climate changes
DAVINCI+ will be an atmospheric probe built by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Like VERITAS, it will study the evolution of Venus.
According to James Garin, the principal investigator for the project: “Venus is a ‘Rosetta Stone’ for reading the record books of climate change, the evolution of habitability, and what happens when a planet loses a long period of surface oceans.”
The DAVINCI+ probe will contain four instruments. One of them, the Venus Mass Spectrometer (VMS), will be constructed by Goddard and the University of Michigan. The VMS will study the atmosphere of the planet for indications of how it became the inferno it is today. It will also take the first high-resolution image of the world, capturing the surface feature known as Alpha Regio. This feature will be the landing site of the probe, two years into the mission.
Be sure to check NASA’s website and social media pages for the latest news about these exciting missions.
Sources:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-to-explore-divergent-fate-of-earth-s-mysterious-twin-with-goddard-s-davinci
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/veritas-exploring-the-deep-truths-of-venus
Brooke Edwards is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador. She lives in Manistee and hosts periodic night-sky viewing events at Fifth Avenue Beach. Follow her on Facebook @BrookeEdwardsSolarSystemAmbassador and contact her at: brookeofstars@gmail.com.
