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Why NASA Chose Mars Instead of Venus
Venus is closer. Venus is more similar in size. Venus has almost the same gravity. Yet NASA has sent a dozen rovers to Mars and only a handful of orbiters to Venus. The reason is not distance. It is survival.
On Venus, the surface temperature hovers around 900 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt lead and zinc[citation:7]. The atmospheric pressure is 90 times that of Earth, equivalent to being half a mile underwater[citation:7]. The Soviet Venera 13 lander holds the record for survival on the Venusian surface: just 127 minutes before its instruments failed[citation:6]. No American lander has ever touched down. No lander of any nation has tried since the 1980s.
Mars is not exactly a paradise. Its average temperature is minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Its atmosphere is thin and unbreathable. But the Opportunity rover lasted 14 years on the Martian surface. The Curiosity rover has been climbing Mount Sharp for over a decade. Robots can survive on Mars for years. They cannot survive on Venus for hours[citation:6].
Beyond survival, Mars offers something Venus does not: evidence of a wetter, warmer past. Billions of years ago, Mars had lakes, rivers, and maybe even oceans. Where there was water, there may have been life[citation:2]. NASA's strategy has been to follow the water. Venus lost its water long ago to a runaway greenhouse effect that turned the planet into hell.
Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because NASA did not choose Mars over Venus. Venus chose itself over everyone else.
On Venus, the surface temperature hovers around 900 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt lead and zinc[citation:7]. The atmospheric pressure is 90 times that of Earth, equivalent to being half a mile underwater[citation:7]. The Soviet Venera 13 lander holds the record for survival on the Venusian surface: just 127 minutes before its instruments failed[citation:6]. No American lander has ever touched down. No lander of any nation has tried since the 1980s.
Mars is not exactly a paradise. Its average temperature is minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Its atmosphere is thin and unbreathable. But the Opportunity rover lasted 14 years on the Martian surface. The Curiosity rover has been climbing Mount Sharp for over a decade. Robots can survive on Mars for years. They cannot survive on Venus for hours[citation:6].
Beyond survival, Mars offers something Venus does not: evidence of a wetter, warmer past. Billions of years ago, Mars had lakes, rivers, and maybe even oceans. Where there was water, there may have been life[citation:2]. NASA's strategy has been to follow the water. Venus lost its water long ago to a runaway greenhouse effect that turned the planet into hell.
Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because NASA did not choose Mars over Venus. Venus chose itself over everyone else.
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By Boring ScienceVenus is closer. Venus is more similar in size. Venus has almost the same gravity. Yet NASA has sent a dozen rovers to Mars and only a handful of orbiters to Venus. The reason is not distance. It is survival.
On Venus, the surface temperature hovers around 900 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt lead and zinc[citation:7]. The atmospheric pressure is 90 times that of Earth, equivalent to being half a mile underwater[citation:7]. The Soviet Venera 13 lander holds the record for survival on the Venusian surface: just 127 minutes before its instruments failed[citation:6]. No American lander has ever touched down. No lander of any nation has tried since the 1980s.
Mars is not exactly a paradise. Its average temperature is minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Its atmosphere is thin and unbreathable. But the Opportunity rover lasted 14 years on the Martian surface. The Curiosity rover has been climbing Mount Sharp for over a decade. Robots can survive on Mars for years. They cannot survive on Venus for hours[citation:6].
Beyond survival, Mars offers something Venus does not: evidence of a wetter, warmer past. Billions of years ago, Mars had lakes, rivers, and maybe even oceans. Where there was water, there may have been life[citation:2]. NASA's strategy has been to follow the water. Venus lost its water long ago to a runaway greenhouse effect that turned the planet into hell.
Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because NASA did not choose Mars over Venus. Venus chose itself over everyone else.
On Venus, the surface temperature hovers around 900 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt lead and zinc[citation:7]. The atmospheric pressure is 90 times that of Earth, equivalent to being half a mile underwater[citation:7]. The Soviet Venera 13 lander holds the record for survival on the Venusian surface: just 127 minutes before its instruments failed[citation:6]. No American lander has ever touched down. No lander of any nation has tried since the 1980s.
Mars is not exactly a paradise. Its average temperature is minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Its atmosphere is thin and unbreathable. But the Opportunity rover lasted 14 years on the Martian surface. The Curiosity rover has been climbing Mount Sharp for over a decade. Robots can survive on Mars for years. They cannot survive on Venus for hours[citation:6].
Beyond survival, Mars offers something Venus does not: evidence of a wetter, warmer past. Billions of years ago, Mars had lakes, rivers, and maybe even oceans. Where there was water, there may have been life[citation:2]. NASA's strategy has been to follow the water. Venus lost its water long ago to a runaway greenhouse effect that turned the planet into hell.
Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because NASA did not choose Mars over Venus. Venus chose itself over everyone else.