NASA has recently re-released the images from planet Venus; perhaps, to hint that more Venus missions are coming, and they're something to look forward to.
(Photo : Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 2: In this handout image provided by the U.S. National Aeronatics and Space Administration (NASA), Administrator Bill Nelson talks to the agency's workforce during his first state of NASA event at NASA headquarters in the Mary W. Jackson Building June 2, 2021 in Washington, DC.
In the early 1990s, the agency's Magellan spacecraft went to the planet to get a radar map of the surface, which showed almost a thousand craters on the surface.
Almost 85 percent of the craters are in pristine condition, which hints at the history of the planet. Scientists think that the planet almost had a near-global resurfacing event 300 to 600 million years ago and that volcanic activity decayed after that.
The Dickinson Crater
A leading image shows the Dickinson Crater, which is a 69-kilometer in diameter crater in the Atlanta Planitia Region. The crater is named after the late American poet, Emily Dickinson. Also, the large craters of Venus, which are the ones that are over 20km, are named after deceased women who made significant contributions and are all recognized as historical figures.
The crater is complex and features a partial central ring due to gravitational equilibrium. With that, it is known that only large impacts can produce this type of crater.
The floor of the crater has radar-bright and radar-dark materials. The radar-bright suggests that the impactor traveled an oblique path into the surface, and scientists believe that it can be volcanic material or impact melt that was released after the impact.
Currently, the planet doesn't have active plate tectonics, which is keeping Venus' crust locked in place. Moreover, there is also nothing that can degrade the craters.
The Upcoming Missions to Venus
There are two missions to Venus in the future-the Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble glasses, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) mission and the Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission.
The DAVINCI is a probe and orbiter in which the latter will take images of the planet's surface in various wavelengths. The orbiter is expected to reach orbit in 2031. It will also study the planet's atmosphere.
On the other hand, the DAVINCI probe will obtain data on the atmosphere and transmit it as it descends toward the surface. There is a huge volume of primordial noble gases in the atmosphere of Venus compared to Earth.
The VERITAS mission is scheduled for launch in 2028 that will capture high-res images of Venus. It will also include the topography, spectroscopy, and radar imaging of the planet. One of its goals is to unravel more information about the impact of history on the planet and how it resurfaced. It will also study volcanism and create the first surface rock composition map.
Related Article: First Venus Private Mission as a Sign of Cheaper Space Explorations?
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Written by April Fowell
