The fruits of the mission Venus Express

2007/11/29 Roa Zubia, Guillermo - Elhuyar Zientzia | Lakar Iraizoz, Oihane - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronomia

The European Space Agency sent the Venus Express probe to investigate our neighboring planet, Venus. The mission has completed a year and the journal Nature has published this week a series of articles to publicize the first results.

Nine articles, thirty-four pages, all to talk about. The main consequence of the natural ones is: Venus and Earth were thought to be similar, but studies show that they are more equal than we think. However, research will serve to understand the differences between both planets.

Venus is a terrifying place. It has a compact atmosphere, formed by carbon dioxide (greenhouse effect! ), with clouds of sulfuric acid. The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Venus is 90 times higher than that of the Earth and is almost 500 degrees. In addition, corrosion is huge on the surface of the planet. In October 1975 a probe landed on Venus and lasted less than an hour.

The atmosphere of the Venus Express probe is being investigated from outside. Scientists have shown for the first time that rays are produced. And that oxygen and hydrogen are poured out of the atmosphere into space along with helium. That is, the planet loses water components. No wonder you are dry! Scientists have been surprised by the existence of a hot layer in the supposedly cold part of the atmosphere. So far he was called cryosphere... now they may have to change their name.

And how does this terrible planet resemble Earth? The size, mass and density of Venus are similar to those of Earth. We already knew that. But data from the Venus Express mission reveal the two swirls of its atmosphere, the North Pole and the South Pole. And there we have the similarity. They are similar to the atmosphere over Antarctica... of the part of the atmosphere that has the hole of the ozone layer.

Two astronomers from the University of the Basque Country, Agustín Sánchez Lavega and Ricardo Piedra, participate in the research of the whirlpools. Of the nine articles published by Nature, two are the results of their research.

Photo: ESA 2007 MPS/IPF-DLR/IDA