DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

GS-III : S&T Space

04 June, 2021
12 Min Read

VERITAS Mission and DAVINCI+ Mission: NASA Missions on Venus

NASA announced two missions to Venus, Earth’s closest planetary neighbour, as part of its ‘Discovery Program’ that aims to explore and study the solar system.
Missions are
1. The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission will map the surface of the planet, study its geology, and hunt for volcanic activity.
2. The DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) with its atmospheric probe, called Plus, will study the dense atmosphere of Venus to understand the trigger and evolution of the runaway greenhouse effect active on the planet.
The missions are funded for $500 million each and are expected to launch somewhere around 2028-2030.
Earth’s twin: Venus is often called Earth’s twin because of similar mass, size, gravity, surface composition and complex atmospheric processes.
However, we know much less about it compared to the other planetary neighbour, Mars. This is largely due to it being obscured by an extremely dense layer of atmosphere and clouds.

VERITAS Mission

The VERITAS mission will study the planet’s geology with radar, map its entire surface topography in 3D and will try to understand why it developed differently from Earth.
It will also study infrared emissions from the surface to map various kinds of rocks.
The mission will also seek to understand if any volcanic or tectonic activity is present on the planet currently.
It will also try to find out if any active volcanoes are releasing water vapour into the atmosphere, sustaining its greenhouse effect.

DAVINCI+ Mission

The DAVINCI+ will measure the atmospheric composition of Venus and its formation and evolution.
The mission will also try to determine if the planet held an ocean of liquid water in the past.
The mission will return the first high-resolution images of unique surface features known as “tesserae” on Venus, which are akin to the continents on Earth, and suggest the existence of plate tectonics.

Other features

The mission’s accompanying Plus probe will drop into the atmosphere, making measurements of noble gas composition in the layers.
Venusian atmosphere is richer in noble gases than Earth’s, indicating different means of evolution. The mission will also aim to understand why the atmospheric gases are in a runaway greenhouse effect and what set it in motion.
Two smaller technology demonstrator missions will also fly with VERITAS and DAVINCI+.
The “ultra-precise” Deep Space Atomic Clock-2 will be tested on VERITAS while the Compact Ultraviolet to Visible Imaging Spectrometer (CUVIS) will fly with DAVINCI+ to make high-resolution UV measurements.
The latter is expected to aid the understanding of how large amounts of incoming solar energy and UV gets absorbed by the atmosphere around Venus.

Source: The Print

Join Our Telegram

Black Carbon study by World Bank

Central Vista project essential, of public importance: Delhi HC

Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana

06 Feb, 24
SHARE

Recently, Prime Minister announced Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana under which 1 crore households will get rooftop solar power systems. India’s Status of Current Solar Capacity India currently stands at 4th place globally in solar power capacity. As per Ministry of New an

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)- NGO

06 Feb, 24
SHARE

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA) registration of two prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) — Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and World Vision India (WVI) have been cancelled this month. What is FCRA? Key provisions of FCRA, 2010 Key aspects Description

Voice clone-AI

06 Feb, 24
SHARE

Voice clone fraud has been on the rise in India. AI voice cloning – It is the process of creating a synthetic replica of a person’s voice through machine learning and speech synthesis technology.It is called as voice deepfakesor audio deepfakes. Objective – To achieve a high level of na

Science communication- how to promote

06 Feb, 24
SHARE

Steps taken by India to promote Science Communication Publications and Information Directorate (PID) - An organisation under Council of Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) established in 1951 for publishing and disseminating scientific information in India. National science magazines- The PI

Universal Basic Income (UBI)- Analysis

05 Feb, 24
SHARE

Universal Basic Income (UBI) can strengthen welfare architecture and unlock the nation’s latent demographic potential. UBI - It is an income support mechanism typically intended to reach all or a very large portion of the population regardless of their earnings or employment status. Objective- To provide enough to co

Quick Links Testimonials FAQ

Crash Course

Regular Modules 2024

Mains

Optional

VERITAS Mission and DAVINCI+ Mission: NASA Missions on Venus

VERITAS Mission and DAVINCI+ Mission: NASA Missions on Venus

Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)- NGO

Voice clone-AI

Science communication- how to promote

Universal Basic Income (UBI)- Analysis

DNA

06 Feb,2024

GS-III

PT Pickups

Toppers

Search By Date

Top Editorials

UPSC Courses

Saarthi Mentorship Programme

Important Tags

Articles:Geography And Environment

Articles: History Culture Society

Articles: Governance & National Issues

Articles: IR & IO

Articles: Economic Development & Economic Issues

Articles: S&T Internal Security

Articles: Ethics & Others

Articles: Others

Newsletter Subscription

SMS Alerts

Important Links