00:22Nasa is returning to Venus for the first time in more than three decades to gain a better understanding of the history of what scientists believe could have been the first habitable planet in the solar system. Plans for two separate and ambitious deep space missions to Earth’s nearest neighbour were announced on Wednesday by the head of the US space agency, Bill Nelson. Launches were targeted for a 2028-2030 time frame, he said. Nasa has set aside $1bn (£700m) in developmental funding for the two ventures, which will be the first US exploration of the planet since 1989. “It will be as if we have rediscovered the planet.”The first mission selected by the space agency from a shortlist of four concepts first announced in February 2020 is Davinci+ (deep atmosphere Venus investigation of noble gases, chemistry and imaging).

Source: The Guardian June 02, 2021 13:21 UTC