Life On Venus We Are About To Find Out! (4K)

Right now, the eyes of the world are firmly focused on Mars. NASA's Perseverance rover is finding organic molecules in ancient sediment in its hunt for life. And Elon Musk is planning to land humans on the red planet within the next 5 years or so. But very soon, our focus will shift to Venus. This scalding hot vision of hell has been enticing us for years with glimpses of possible life in its clouds. Now, we are finally returning to this enigmatic planet after more than 30 years of absence, with four incredible missions that will finally answer the riddle of Venus, and possibly life in the wider universe. Before we dive into these missions and the implications of their findings, we first need to understand why Venus could harbour life. Because if life exists there, it is unlike anything we know of on Earth. The surface of Venus is the epitome of inhospitable. At 900 degrees Fahrenheit, or 475 degrees Celsius, it is the hottest planet in our solar system. Not to mention the crushing pressures, powerful winds, and an atmosphere made primarily of carbon dioxide. But in the midst of its sulfuric acid clouds, the conditions for life are just right. The temperature is perfect, all the building blocks for life are available, and there is plenty of chemical energy. So scientists have long theorised that bacteria like microbes may thrive in the Venusian atmosphere. But how would life get going on such a horrific planet? Well, we do have some evidence suggesting Venus may have once been a much more pleasant planet, with a liquid water ocean and temperate climate. We even have evidence of ancient and current volcanism. These two factors combined means that it is plausible that billions of years ago microbial life started and evolved around Venusian hydrothermal vents, and then evolved to encompass every nook of the planet. Then as the environment changed to its present day vision of hell, only the cloud-inhabiting microbes remained. But all of this is just theory and conjecture, based on some very loose evidence. We haven't sent a probe to the surface of Venus in over 30 years, and the recent data collected by passing spacecraft or ground-based telescopes here on Earth is vague. For example, we recently found evidence of phosphine in the atmosphere, a possible sign of life, but the signal could have also come from sulfur dioxide. So there is a planet with a known habitable environment, with evidence of biosignatures. Luckily for us, this enticing mystery has attracted NASA, ESA and MIT scientists, who are now sending four separate missions to search for life on Venus. Firstly, we have two NASA missions, VERITAS and DAVINCI+, both planned for the late 2020s. VERITAS is interested in the surface of the planet. An orbiter will use radar and gravitational measurements to understand the topography and composition of the surface. VERITAS aims to find evidence of oceans and volcanism past and present, enabling us to understand if Venus was ever a habitable planet. DAVINCI++ is focused on understanding the atmosphere. It will use a parachute lander and orbiting imager to probe the composition of the Venusian atmosphere, to understand how it evolved and the unique chemistry going on within it. This will complement VERITAS in understanding Venus's deep past. It will also help us understand if Venus's clouds are genuinely habitable today by getting a complete detailed picture of the atmosphere's composition. Then we have the European Space Agency mission ENVISION, which is planned to launch in 2031. This mission will be similar to both the NASA missions, as it also aims to understand the atmospheric composition and geological features of Venus. However, ENVISION has a slightly different array of sensors, and these will help piece together the timeline of Venus's ancient past. So while VERITAS might find evidence of riverbeds from long ago, ENVISION will help identify how old these structures are. Finally, we have the MIT mission VENUS LIFEFINDER or VLF, which aims to launch on board the new Rocket Labs Photon Launch System as soon as 2023. This mission is the equivalent of a smash and grab. There will be an array of different sensors, landers and even a sample return mission. But unlike the others, VLF isn't about understanding Venus's past. It is directly aimed at finding proof of living organisms in the atmosphere. As such, this is a high-risk, high-reward mission. For example, one of these mini-missions includes a balloon probe that will stay within the habitable zone of the atmosphere and sample for signs of life. If successful, the data it collects will be priceless. What makes VLF even more exciting is that it is privately funded. The advent of cheap launch vehicles like SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Rocket Labs Photon means that wealthy organisations, such as universities, can now fund daring space missions. Who knows, if VLF goes well, we may soon have privately funded missions to Jupiter and Saturn's icy moons in search of life. So what could these incredible missions find? VLF is do or die, it either will or won't find life in the Venusian clouds. If VLF does find life, it will have some shocking implications. This environment is so vastly different from Earth that if it can support life, it would imply that life may be far more abundant in the universe than we previously thought. But VLF will likely shed light on the unusual chemistry we see in the Venusian atmosphere, which could be new and unique biosignatures. The James Webb Space Telescope can then use these to find evidence of similar life on exoplanets throughout the galaxy. This is a long shot, but by understanding Venus's possible biosignature in detail, we really could find conclusive proof of life in the wider universe. The three other missions will then answer how life may have started and evolved on such a weird world, giving us a near complete picture from origin to present. So over the next decade, we can expect some truly astonishing science to come from Venus, and the world's gaze will finally be pulled off of Mars. We are poised to find life in our own cosmic backyard, and if we do, we have the equipment ready to find similar life on distant exoplanets hundreds of light years away. The universe is about to become a whole lot more populated, or we are about to discover just how lonely we really are.