NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein called Venus “an obstacle to the search for life.”
“Today we are making an amazing discovery that could tell us more about the possibility of life on Earth,” he said in a statement today. Broadstein explains that astrobiology, which includes the discovery of life elsewhere, is a major priority for NASA.
Bridenstein cited new research by an international team of astronomers who discovered a rare molecule, phosphine, in the clouds of Venus.
Scientists have noted that, on Earth, gases are produced only by industrial or micro-organisms that thrive in an oxygen-free atmosphere.
Venus will be able to find scientists in her class showing signs of possible alien life.
The research, led by Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in the UK, was announced by the Royal Astronomical Society and published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
False color image of Venus synthesized using 283-nm and 365-nm band images taken by Venus Ultraviolet Imager (UVI).
(JAXA / ISAS / Akatsuki Project Team)
Bridenstein called the discovery “interesting,” noting that it could focus on biosignatures. “Being common in science, the more we learn, the more questions we have.” “This is the virtue cycle of discovery, which includes the discovery of potential biosignatures on the other world.”
The NASA chief explained that four missions are being considered for two Discovery missions in 2021. Jupiter’s moon came, ”he said. “The other two missions under consideration are the proposed missions for Venus. One focuses on understanding its atmosphere and the other on understanding the geographical history of Venus. ”
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According to Bridenstein, NASA is also partnering with Europe on another proposed Venus mission called NAVision.
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