In a recent report, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presents the scientific plan and rationale for a series of privately funded missions aimed at to search for signs of life in the atmosphere of Venus. The first of these missions could be launched as early as 2023.
A few months ago, astronomers announced the possible presence of phosphine, a potential indicator of life, in the atmosphere of Venus at an altitude of between 35 and 50 km, where pressures and temperatures are similar to Earth. Finally, a study published later pointed out that the possible phosphine discovered in the atmosphere of Venus was probably just ordinary sulfur dioxide.
More recently, an article published in Nature went along the same lines, arguing that the conditions in Venusian clouds are in no way compatible with life as we know it. know.
Despite these different results, some researchers still believe in the idea that the clouds of Venus can harbor several forms of microscopic life.
These scientists have found several unexplained atmospheric chemical anomalies , including the "mysterious UV absorber" or the vertical abundance profiles of O2, SO2 and H2O. They also emphasize the presence of ammonia (NH3) and still do not rule out the idea of the presence of phosphine (PH3).
According to researchers at MIT, these anomalies, which have persisted for decades, could be linked to the activities of life in the Venusian atmosphere or indicate an unknown chemistry that merits investigation. be explored. With this in mind, they offer a series of rambling privately-funded missions designed to answer these questions:the "Venus Life Finder" missions .
"While people have been speculating about life in the clouds of Venus for decades, we are now in a position to act with highly profitable and highly targeted “, can we read in a press release. “The series of VLF missions we are proposing aim to study the cloudy particles of Venus and to continue where the pioneering in situ probe missions of nearly four decades ago left off. The world is on the brink of a revolution in space science “.
Based on the experimental results, the researchers speculate that life could evolve in acid-resistant lipid vesicles or neutralize sulfuric acid by producing ammonia, which which can reduce the pH of sulfuric acid to a more "tolerable" level. Finally, Venusian life could rely on biochemistry capable of tolerating sulfuric acid, distinct from anything on Earth.
The first of the missions should be launched in 2023 , and managed and funded by Rocket Lab. The company's Electron rocket would send a spacecraft in the direction of Venus. This craft would then drop a mini-probe allowing a three-minute flyby through the Venusian clouds at over 38,000 km/h. The purpose of this brief descent will be to analyze a bit of the atmosphere.
Based on their research, the team selected an instrument called an autofluorescent nephelometer. Small, light (just 1kg), cheap and able to be built quickly, the instrument is currently being developed by two companies. One, called Cloud Measurement Solutions, is based in New Mexico. The second, called Droplet Measurement Technologies, is based in Colorado.
Concretely, once in the atmosphere of Venus, this instrument would aim to project a laser on the cloud particles, causing the lighting or fluorescence of all the complex molecules that they contain. Many organic molecules such as tryptophan, an amino acid, have fluorescent properties.
While this mission could provide us with some interesting data on the planet's atmosphere, it will likely be insufficient to detect true signs of life . Whatever these discoveries, a next mission is already planned for 2026 . This would involve sending a larger payload this time with a balloon capable of spending more time in the clouds of Venus to conduct more in-depth experiments there.
Finally, the results of this mission could set the stage for the culmination of this incredible project:bringing a sample of Venus' atmosphere back to Earth.
