“DaVinci +” and “Veritas”: NASA plans two …

NASA hasn’t headed to Venus since 1978. Now there are two missions – each with different goals.

NASA is planning two new missions to the neighboring planet Venus. “DaVinci+” and “Veritas” are set to leave Earth between 2028 and 2030 in the direction of the second deepest planet in the solar system, NASA announced Wednesday. $500 million each will be provided for development. While DaVinci+ aims to explore an Earth-like orb’s atmosphere, Veritas plans to map Venus.

NASA explained that the missions should create greater knowledge about why Venus, despite conditions similar to those on Earth, turns into a planet hostile to extreme temperatures. This planet would have been the “first habitable world in the solar system” a long time ago. It might have an ocean – it’s DaVinci+’s job to find out.

The “DaVinci+” mission consists of a ball that is supposed to plunge into the atmosphere of Venus and measure the composition of the gases. The goal is to find evidence that explains why such a strong greenhouse effect occurs in the planet’s atmosphere, resulting in temperatures of several hundred degrees. In addition, “DaVinci+” should make high-resolution images of a geologic feature of Venus reminiscent of plate tectonics on Earth. NASA hasn’t headed into the planet’s atmosphere since 1978.

Meanwhile, Veritas is supposed to map Venus in order to determine the geological history of the planet and explain why it evolved differently from Earth. In the project, a spacecraft equipped with a radar orbits Venus and creates a three-dimensional image in the process. NASA researchers hope to gain insight into whether processes such as plate tectonics and volcanoes are still active on Venus.

(APA / DPA)