Life on Venus has been a topic of discussion recently. There was a lot of controversy, including the discovery of phosphine, a potential indicator in the atmosphere. The best way to put the controversy to rest is to actually take samples and see if there is life in the Venus cloud layers. A group of people from industry and academia want to do that.
The Venus Life Finder (VLF) mission concept was originally announced late last year. Life in the Venusian clouds is not the first idea to come from the team behind the mission. The idea of dinosaurs on the Venusian surface was published in 1967.
Several probes have been sent through the Venusian clouds, and they have found a lot of strange chemistries. Since the 1980s, we haven't sent probes through the cloud layers. Since then, technologies that might be useful in the search for life have improved greatly. A new paper discusses future missions released by the VLF team.
The VLF team is hoping to give another look at Venus' atmosphere from a biochemical perspective because of the two facts. Late last year, their mission was defined. The first step isambitious.
VLF has contracted with Rocketlab to send a probe to Venus. The rocket and transportation will be provided by rocketlab. There would be a ride on the company's entry vehicle.
The entry vehicle will only allow a probe to collect data in the upper atmosphere of the clouds, where the climate is most hospitable. The three minutes will be worth a lot. An Autoflourescing Nephelometer, which can make organic material shine, is the scientific goal for the first mission.
Seager et al. received credit.
Some strange shaped molecule were already found by probes. Mode 3 particles are one of the main drivers of the mission. An AFN, which is based on existing commercial technologies that are already used on the outside of airplanes, could give unique insights that would inform the next mission.
The balloon mission to Venus has been going on for a long time. It has been suggested that balloons might be able to support the entire city. The new VLF mission would use a balloon and gondola, as well as a series of probes, to collect data on the environment further down. An extremely sensitive pH sensor and a microelectricalmechanical system that can detect the presence of metals are included in the scientific part of the mission. Some of the technologies need to be developed, such as a liquid concentrator to feed the analyzer.
The sample return mission is the final VLF mission. The third VLF mission will include an ascending rocket that will return a sample of Venus' atmosphere to Earth to be studied by the best instruments we can muster.
Seager et al. received credit.
Experience from the other two missions would inform the sample return mission. There is still a lot of time before a mission is launched. If the VLF team manages to get its first mission off the ground next year, it will be an amazing achievement and could potentially lead to one of the most important discoveries in science.
You can learn more.
The Venus Life Finder Missions Motivation and Summary was written by Seager and his associates.
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