Venus Express Prepares to Descend into Hell

(Before It's News)

Artist’s impression of an active volcano on Venus. One long-term study of the planet showed that sulphur dioxide is being continually put into the atmosphere. One explanation for that could be volcanic activity, although others exist (such as changes in atmospheric circulation). Credit: ESA/AOES

Venus is definitely not a friendly planet for humanity. Soviet landers that arrived on the surface a few decades back were crushed pretty quickly. Its surface temperature is more than 842 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius) and the atmosphere is full of noxious gases.

But descending into this pressure-filled cooker is exactly what Venus Express is going to do shortly. The European Space Agency spacecraft will conclude eight years of orbital operations with an attempt to fall into the planet. The maneuvers are complicated, and there’s no guarantee they will go as planned, but ESA plans to make the plunge by the end of this year.

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© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
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