All articles tagged with #veritas mission
New evidence from NASA's Magellan spacecraft data suggests that Venus may have volcanic activity comparable to Earth, with significant lava flows observed between 1990 and 1992. This discovery enhances our understanding of Venus' geological evolution and will guide future missions like NASA's VERITAS, set to launch in the early 2030s.
Recent analysis of NASA's Magellan mission data has revealed two volcanic eruptions on Venus in the early 1990s, adding to the 2023 discovery of another active volcano. This suggests Venus is more volcanically active than previously thought. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, highlight the potential for future missions like NASA's VERITAS to further explore Venus' geological activity.
The head of NASA's delayed VERITAS mission to Venus has warned that the project risks losing critical expertise if the agency doesn't find a way to move up the mission. The mission, originally planned for launch in the late 2020s, was delayed by three years to address institutional problems at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. However, the principal investigator for VERITAS argued that many of the issues have been resolved and an extended delay threatens the personnel available for the mission. The biggest challenge is funding, but a draft report accompanying a commerce, justice, and science appropriations bill provides support for VERITAS and directs NASA to ensure the mission remains on track.
Standing on the surface of Venus would be deadly due to its extreme atmospheric pressure and heat, with temperatures reaching up to 460 degrees Celsius. Even the most advanced protective clothing wouldn't be able to withstand these conditions. Robotic spacecraft are better suited for exploring Venus, but even they have had a hard time due to technical problems and the planet's harsh conditions. Future missions will mainly study Venus from orbit, with NASA's proposed VERITAS mission aiming to map the Venusian surface from orbit.
The Planetary Society is leading an effort to save the VERITAS mission to Venus, which is facing an indefinite delay due to constrained budgets at NASA. The Society published a joint letter urging Congress to commit to authorizing NASA to launch VERITAS no later than November 2029. VERITAS’s primary mission is to map the entire surface of Venus in high resolution, something that we’ve done with Mars and the Moon, but not Earth’s closest allegory. The Planetary Society is rallying its members and the public to send a message to their representatives in Congress in support of the mission and encouraging supporters to raise awareness of the delay on social media using the hashtag #SaveVERITAS.
NASA scientists have discovered direct evidence of active volcanism on Venus for the first time ever by examining radar images taken more than 30 years ago by NASA's Magellan mission. The images revealed a volcanic vent changing shape and increasing in size over the period of less than a year. The discovery was made by a research professor who led the search of the archival data. The VERITAS mission will launch within a decade, sending an orbiter to study Venus from surface to core.
Direct geological evidence of recent volcanic activity has been observed on the surface of Venus for the first time, after scientists studied archival radar images taken by NASA's Magellan mission in the 1990s. The discovery of a volcanic vent changing shape and increasing significantly in size in less than a year sets the stage for NASA's VERITAS mission to investigate Venus from surface to core to understand how a rocky planet about the same size as Earth took a very different path, developing into a world covered in volcanic plains and deformed terrain hidden beneath a thick, hot, toxic atmosphere.
Archival images from the Magellan spacecraft have revealed evidence of recent volcanic activity on Venus, according to a new study. The images represent the first direct geological evidence of volcanic activity on the planet's surface. The VERITAS mission, set to launch within a decade, will use radar to create 3D maps of Venus and capture details about its surface composition, gravitational field, and past.