Venus is a hellish planet in our backyard. In fact, its scorching temperature is hot enough to dissolve and destroy our technologies. Venus’ clouds of sulphuric acid and crushing atmospheric pressure make its surface completely uninhabitable to any form of living organism known to mankind. Despite all these challenges, scientists still think we should send humans on a manned mission to Venus. But why did scientists come up with such a proposal? Can we possibly send humans to Venus? Continue reading to find out.
Why Scientists thinks that Manned Mission to Venus before Mars is Important
The Guardian recently reported that a group of space scientists is advocating for space agencies to adjust their focus from sending humans to Mars and considering human exploration to Venus. The group shared their idea during the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Paris last week.
The scientists reveal that Venus is a perfect candidate to visit since it is closer to Earth than Mars. Since the hellish planet is much closer to us, a crewed mission to Venus will be completed in a fraction of time. The group also believed that this human exploration of Venus would offer relevant data that would enable us to prepare for future missions to Mars.
They specified that the return trip to Venus could be accomplished within a year. However, a mission to Mars and back could take up to three years or more.
This crewed mission to Venus will enable scientists to understand the effect that extended deep space exploration will have on the human body within a specific time frame. Even if space agencies will consider accepting this proposal, they will only work towards a crewed flyby mission to Venus.
Can We Live on the Surface of Venus?
Since Venus’ surface is completely hostile to our technology, no human can survive on it. So, conducting a flyby mission will enable the crew to obtain a more detailed view of the hellish planet. This flyby mission will unveil numerous interesting facts about Venus to our scientists.
Most planetary scientists believe that we might discover microbial life in the clouds of Venus. Space researchers have been longing to know what made Venus become completely inhabitable and inherit a hellish surface.
These scientists who campaigned for the human exploration of Venus actually made several analyses before concluding. Dr. Noam Izenberg working at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, who’s also a member of the campaign group shared his opinion during a press release.
During that press release, Dr. Noam Izenberg said that Venus inherits its bad reputation as the hellish planet possesses such a difficult surface environment. Currently, NASA is planning its mission paradigm from the moon to Mars. However, Dr. Noam Izenberg noted that they are trying to include a mission to Venus as an additional target on that pathway.
The Johns Hopkins University Professor also revealed that a manned flyby to Venus will enable the spacecraft to conduct a gravity assist on the planet, thereby reducing the mission duration to Mars. Even though Venus is in the opposite direction to Mars, a gravity assist on the hellish planet will benefit future manned missions to Mars.
Aside from Izenberg, NASA chief economist Alexander Macdonald, the leader of the IAC panel session is also interested in the idea of a crewed Venus flyby mission. Izenberg and Macdonald partnered and co-authored a publication titled “Meeting with the Goddess.” In this publication, the scientists describe the benefits of sending humans to Venus before reaching Mars.
Can We Possibly Send a Manned Mission to Venus?
When it comes to reaching a distant planet, Mars has captured the interest of most space agencies. Venus’s hellish nature made it difficult for our landers and rovers to survive for long on its surface.
Since our technologies cannot survive on Venus, space agencies may not plan to send any crewed missions, even for flybys for a longer time. However, we are getting closer to advancing our Venus exploration.
A private Space agency, Rocket Lab is currently funding and working on a project of sending a space probe to Venus. The agency plans to launch the uncrewed mission by next year. If Rocket Lab successfully attain such a milestone, it will become the first private space agency to send a probe to another planet.
NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and other agencies are working towards launching uncrewed space missions to Venus to advance our search for extraterrestrials on the hellish planet.
Conclusion
Manned mission to Venus is a fascinating argument that when implemented, will help us plan for a more sustainable mission to Mars. Although no space agency is considering working on this mission, for now, we may possibly bring this vision into a reality. What do you think about this proposal of a manned mission to Venus?
