1 00:00:01,067 --> 00:00:05,605 The surface of Venus is completely inhospitable for life, barren, 2 00:00:05,705 --> 00:00:10,543 dry, crushed under an atmosphere about 90 times the pressure of Earth's 3 00:00:10,810 --> 00:00:13,913 and roasted by temperatures two times hotter than an oven. 4 00:00:14,180 --> 00:00:16,182 But was it always that way? 5 00:00:16,182 --> 00:00:18,451 Could Venus once have been a twin of Earth, 6 00:00:18,451 --> 00:00:21,087 a habitable world with liquid water oceans? 7 00:00:22,022 --> 00:00:26,192 Here are 10 mysteries of Venus that NASA's scientists are still grappling with. 8 00:00:31,064 --> 00:00:32,899 Did Venus ever host life? 9 00:00:32,899 --> 00:00:37,370 To answer this question, we first need to understand the past environment on Venus. 10 00:00:37,670 --> 00:00:41,374 This involves studying the atmosphere, geology and history of the planet. 11 00:00:41,641 --> 00:00:44,978 Something NASA's DAVINCI mission plans on exploring in great detail. 12 00:00:46,046 --> 00:00:48,448 Why did Venus evolve so differently than Earth? 13 00:00:48,748 --> 00:00:50,183 Venus and Earth are similar 14 00:00:50,183 --> 00:00:53,520 in size and density, and yet they are strikingly different. 15 00:00:54,220 --> 00:00:57,624 Air pressure at the surface of Venus is 90 times that of Earth. 16 00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:01,294 Venus rotates on its axis backwards compared to the other planets 17 00:01:01,294 --> 00:01:04,631 in the solar system, and the surface of Venus is over 900 18 00:01:04,631 --> 00:01:08,034 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest planet in our solar system. 19 00:01:08,234 --> 00:01:09,369 Hot enough to melt lead. 20 00:01:10,670 --> 00:01:12,605 Venus's evolution through time 21 00:01:12,605 --> 00:01:15,975 may help us understand how habitability evolves over time 22 00:01:16,109 --> 00:01:19,379 and where we might find habitable planets beyond our solar system. 23 00:01:20,713 --> 00:01:22,649 How did Venus form? 24 00:01:22,649 --> 00:01:25,785 It is still not known if Venus was bombarded by comets 25 00:01:25,785 --> 00:01:27,387 and asteroids rich in water 26 00:01:27,387 --> 00:01:31,324 the way Earth was. Understanding the delivery of water to Venus 27 00:01:31,324 --> 00:01:35,028 is important for evaluating its potential to host oceans in the past. 28 00:01:37,464 --> 00:01:39,866 What is the atmosphere composition at Venus? 29 00:01:40,633 --> 00:01:44,304 One of the biggest mysteries of Venus's atmosphere lies in the lower most 30 00:01:44,304 --> 00:01:48,408 or deep atmosphere where carbon dioxide is heated and pressurized 31 00:01:48,675 --> 00:01:51,878 to the point where it acts more like a hot liquid than a gas. 32 00:01:52,912 --> 00:01:56,749 The DAVINCI probe will measure chemistry, pressure, temperature and dynamics 33 00:01:57,083 --> 00:02:01,855 at least every 200 meters as it descends through Venus's atmosphere to the surface. 34 00:02:04,557 --> 00:02:07,360 How are the rocks of Venus formed? 35 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:09,729 DAVINCI's high resolution imaging beneath 36 00:02:09,729 --> 00:02:12,599 the clouds will test ideas about the role of water 37 00:02:12,765 --> 00:02:17,403 in forming what may be ancient continental crust on Venus at human scales. 38 00:02:18,104 --> 00:02:21,040 DAVINCI will study one of these tesserae, Alpha Regio, 39 00:02:21,174 --> 00:02:25,245 To better understand its composition. How much water did Venus have? 40 00:02:25,578 --> 00:02:27,881 Liquid water is essential for life. 41 00:02:27,881 --> 00:02:31,317 We cannot assess Venus's past habitability without knowing 42 00:02:31,317 --> 00:02:35,155 how much water Venus may have had and when and how it lost that water. 43 00:02:35,522 --> 00:02:39,192 Scientists will use measurements of the atmosphere from The DAVINCI probe 44 00:02:39,359 --> 00:02:42,996 to explore clues of the story of past water on our sister planet. 45 00:02:45,031 --> 00:02:47,300 What is the nature of surface activity at Venus? 46 00:02:48,067 --> 00:02:51,271 Earth's crust hosts a network of relatively thin plates 47 00:02:51,538 --> 00:02:54,874 jostling around on the planet's surface in constant horizontal motion. 48 00:02:55,341 --> 00:02:57,644 If similar plate tectonics exist on Venus, 49 00:02:57,911 --> 00:03:01,047 the planet's crust must experience continental drift like earth. 50 00:03:01,548 --> 00:03:04,384 Another key mystery about the surface of Venus is volcanism. 51 00:03:04,984 --> 00:03:08,254 The two upcoming missions to Venus, DAVINCI and VERITAS 52 00:03:08,621 --> 00:03:11,491 aim to understand the current volcanic activity at Venus. 53 00:03:13,092 --> 00:03:15,395 What did the mountains look like on Venus? 54 00:03:15,395 --> 00:03:19,032 Previous Venus Landers, Venera and Vega have taken photographs 55 00:03:19,032 --> 00:03:23,102 of the Venetian plains from the surface, but DAVINCI's cameras will snap the first 56 00:03:23,102 --> 00:03:27,407 ever high resolution aerial photos of a mountainous Tessera surface 57 00:03:27,407 --> 00:03:30,710 as the probe descends over the rugged Alpha Regio Highlands region. 58 00:03:32,045 --> 00:03:34,581 Are there Venus like planets beyond our solar system? 59 00:03:35,281 --> 00:03:37,717 We will be able to relate what we discover at Venus 60 00:03:37,817 --> 00:03:41,688 to Venus, like exoplanets observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. 61 00:03:42,088 --> 00:03:44,357 If Venus shows signs of previous habitability, 62 00:03:44,624 --> 00:03:47,327 that could mean these exoplanets might be habitable as well. 63 00:03:48,228 --> 00:03:50,597 New mysteries we haven't thought of yet. 64 00:03:50,597 --> 00:03:53,166 There are many new mysteries we can't even imagine right now 65 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,069 with NASA's newest missions to our sister planet. 66 00:03:56,569 --> 00:03:58,571 There are plenty of new discoveries to be made. 67 00:03:59,172 --> 00:04:00,607 Venus. Here we come.