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The discovery of phosphine in the upper clouds of Venus’ atmosphere has generated much excitement. On Earth, phosphine is produced biologically, making it a sign of life. If it is not produced by life, it takes an enormous amount of energy to create it biologically.
On other planets like Jupiter, there is enough energy to produce phosphine, so finding it there is not surprising. But in a small rocky world like Venus, where there is no powerful source of energy, its existence is surprising.
This discovery clearly needs further investigation.
The phosphine molecule is easily destroyed by ultraviolet light. For phosphine to be detected on Venus, something would have to replace it. That is what has us all so interested. Something is replenishing it; be it a simple life form that has found a niche in the atmosphere of Venus, or a chemical process that we have yet to discover.
This is where revolutionary initiatives come into play.
“The next step is to do the basic science needed to thoroughly investigate the evidence and consider how best to confirm and expand the possibility of life.”
S. Pete Worden, Executive Director of Breakthrough Initiatives.
Breakthrough Inititatives (BI) is the son of Yuri Milner. He is a Russian tech entrepreneur, physicist, venture capitalist and philanthropist. You are using a portion of your wealth to fund BI activities. BI was launched in 2015 to investigate the existence of life in other parts of the Universe.
In a press release on their website, Breakthrough Initiatives explained their thinking. They intend to fund a research study on life in the clouds of Venus. They will focus on the discovery of the potential biomarker phosphine. The team will be led by Dr. Sara Seager, a renowned planetary scientist and professor at MIT. The team will consist of “world-class physicists, astronomers, astrobiologists, chemists and engineers.”
On Earth, phosphine is produced by living organisms or by humans using an energy source. In the natural world, the exact biological mechanisms that produce it are unknown, but they are associated with bacterial breakdown of organic matter. Phosphine is found in swamps and marshes, as well as in the guts of animals.
No one says that the detection of phosphine means that a living process is creating it on Venus. (Or they shouldn’t be saying that, in any case). It’s just that we don’t know of any other way it could occur on Venus.
“The discovery of phosphine is an exciting advance,” said S. Pete Worden, executive director of Breakthrough Initiatives. “We have what could be a biological signature and a plausible story on how it got there. The next step is to do the basic science necessary to thoroughly investigate the evidence and consider how best to confirm and expand the possibility of life. “
“Finding life anywhere beyond Earth would be truly momentous,” said Yuri Milner, founder of Breakthrough Initiatives. “And if there is a non-negligible possibility that it is right next to Venus, exploring that possibility is an urgent priority for our civilization.”
But what is the best and most prudent scientific way to explore that possibility?
That is the main question facing the BI team right now. In the statement, they say “The group will investigate the scientific case for life and analyze the technical challenges of an exploratory mission if such evidence is convincing.”
The study authors who found phosphine were adequately circumspect in their article. In their conclusion they write that “Even if confirmed, we emphasize that the detection of PH3 not solid evidence of life, just anomalous and inexplicable chemistry. There are substantial conceptual problems for the idea of life in the clouds of Venus: the environment is extremely dehydrating and hyperacidic ”.
More data is needed before a conclusion can be reached. And the necessary data could only be found by sending probes to explore the atmosphere of Venus. Venus has been a bit scientifically neglected, while Mars and the icy moons of the Solar System’s ocean have garnered attention. But over the years, there have been various proposals to explore our Solar System’s own hell.
NASA excited us all with their recent proposal, the VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radioscience, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy) mission. It has not been approved, but it would launch sometime in 2026. However, as the concept stands now, VERITAS would explore the surface in greater detail to understand the geology and history of Venus. I would not explore the atmosphere.
Then there’s BREEZE, which stands for Biologically Inspired Beam for Extreme Environments and Zonal Explorations. It is a concept mission inspired by the manta ray developed by the Crashworthiness Laboratory for Aerospace Structures and Hybrids (CRASH) at the University of Buffalo.
BREEZE is a transforming spaceship that mimics the stingray. It would flap its wings similar to how a stingray flaps its pectoral fins. That would allow it to generate lift in the atmosphere of Venus.
BREEZE is designed to circumnavigate the planet every four to six days, in the upper atmosphere. It would run on solar energy and study weather patterns and volcanic activity. The most promising thing is that it would take atmospheric samples.
Then there is Black Swift Technologies. They are a specialty company known for their specially designed scientific aerial platforms. In 2018 they received funding from NASA to develop a vehicle that could navigate the atmosphere of Venus while collecting data. It would take advantage of the winds of Venus to harness enough energy to fly. According to Black Swift, it is “a proven method of extracting energy from the atmospheric shear that has propelled the world’s fastest small-scale aircraft.” It is the same method that birds use for long-duration flights over the oceans.
“While there have been a variety of systems proposed for observations of Venus in the upper atmosphere, the planet’s high wind speeds represent a significant design challenge,” emphasizes Jack Elston, Ph.D., CEO of Black Swift Technologies. “Our solution will be designed not only to survive in the harsh wind environment, but also to simultaneously perform specific sampling of the atmosphere while continuously extracting energy, even on the dark side of the planet.”
There is also DAVINCI (Venus Investigation in the Deep Atmosphere of Noble Gases, Chemistry and Imaging). It is a conceptual design proposal for a lander. But on its way to the surface of Venus, it would continually sample the atmosphere. That would help you address two of your stated goals: to study the origin and evolution of Venus’s atmosphere; and study atmospheric composition and surface interaction.
Venus has not been completely ignored. ESA’s Venus Express completed its mission in 2014, after nine years in orbit. And the Japanese Akatsuki orbiter is still in service, after ten years on the planet.
There have been a number of other mission ideas from ISRO, Roscosmos, and others. The only problem is that these designs were conceived before the discovery of phosphine. To specifically address the phosphine issue, a new mission will likely be needed, although one of the proposed vehicles could still be useful.
It’s safe to say that we can expect more movement in the Venus exploration soon. The potential discovery of phosphine requires close monitoring. And human nature being what it is, ambitious scientists will want to be busy. But for now, we have to wait.
