Mars and Venus

Amid the on-going pandemic mankind has been active doing other things besides fighting the virus. Despite the near standstill that the world was forced to undergo, humans still have to live and let business continue as usual. Mars has come into limelight and Venus has sprung a surprise.

Mars

The red planet gives a small window after every 26 months when the distance between Earth and Mars is the least. A lot of missions are heading to Mars this season. It could be that Mars might see some traffic jams. NASA is sending the Perseverance Rover to Mars. This rover is also accompanied by a small helicopter which will set the tone for future aerial exploration missions.

The next is the Russian-European ExoMars rover named Rosalind Franklin. The vehicle carries instruments to detect life on the red planet. This time the UAE is also sending their vehicle to Mars riding piggy back on the Japanese H-IIA rocket. This is the Hope Mars Mission or Emirates Mars Mission. The UAE mission will study meteorological layers on Mars and the presence of different gases in Martian atmosphere. China also is sending a mission this time round. The Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter will be accompanied by a rover. The two vehicles will carry instruments to study the planet and gather scientific data.

There is no dearth of human presence on Mars. There are the Curiosity rover and Insight Lander. In the air we have six orbiters. NASA's MAVEN, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey. Mars Express and Euro-Russian ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and India's Mars Orbiter Mission.

The reason why Mars is in focus is because countries do not want to be left behind in the race for Mars. It will still take another decade for human explorers to complete preparations for setting foot there. But there could be international collaborations to go to the red planet. If you have proven technology for space travel or planetary exploration, you could be offered a collaboration or partnership with any of the leading spacefaring nations. 

Mars is not going to become economically viable any time soon. But that is not going to stop any country from taking its chances by joining hands to explore it. If Mars springs a surprise in an exotic material resource, nobody wants to be left behind. If you have a seat at this high table, you will be counted. In any international agreement to exploit resources in space, the countries which have proven prowess in space exploration will definitely call the shots.

Venus

One more good news coming from the space industry is that some interesting chemicals were detected on Venus. The planet which is considered a twin of our earth is difficult to explore to say the least. Its atmosphere is very corrosive and its surface temperature is extremely high. About 450 degrees centigrade. Also the atmospheric pressure there is about ninety times that on Earth. It is not surprising that all the spacecraft sent to that planet fell prey to this inhospitable environment.

Russia is the only country to land a craft on Venus  The Venera series of explorers, could withstand the heat and the corrosion on the planet for only about two hours. To circumvent this problem NASA has a facility called GEER (Glen Extreme Environment Rig) in Ohio. Here the Venetian atmosphere is created inside a chamber and materials are tested for their capability to withstand the conditions.

The reason why Venus has come into focus is because even in these inhospitable conditions, tell tale presence of certain chemicals point to the possibility of life. Researchers are skeptical to say the least. But again the possibility is not being ignored out of hand.

On September 14 a report published in the journal Nature Astronomy revealed that a group of scientists had discovered the molecule phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. This molecule is made up of phosphorous and Hydrogen atoms and was detected by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii.  This telescope observes in the far infrared and microwave wavelengths.

Phosphine on earth is released by living organisms which live in oxygen free environments. Scientists say they have not been able to create the gas in any other way using an alternative mechanism. One possibility is that there may be microbial life in the upper atmosphere of the planet as the temperature there is much lower than on the surface. At about 83 degree Fahrenheit one can expect to find life.

In order to get answers to their questions, scientists say, a mission to Venus is necessary. One which measures atmospheric gases on the planet and mass spectrometers to detect complex molecules associated with life. Venus being low on the priority list of major space agencies has not had much exposure to scientific study. Perhaps the discovery of phosphine will change that.