Missions in Space - Venus Express
Launch - 9 November 2005
The Venus Express spacecraft successfully blasted off from a remote site in Kazahkstan in late 2005. The spacecraft was one of a group of probes launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) to explore planets in the Solar System. It took just 153 days to reach its destination and after a journey of some 400 million km, the probe safely entered orbit around Venus on the 11 April 2006.
Artist's impression of Venus Express arrivng in orbit on 11 Apr 2006
© ESA
Once established in orbit, the mission aims to spend around 500 days conducting detailed observations of the structure, chemistry and weather patterns within the Venusian atmosphere. Venus is the nearest planet to Earth and passes twice as close to our planet than Mars. In terms of its size and mass, Venus is very similar to Earth and yet it has evolved in a very different way. Being closer to the Sun, its atmosphere should be a little warmer than the Earth, but past missions have found that a runaway greenhouse effect has resulted in surface temperatures of around 450°C, which is 400°C hotter than they would otherwise be.
Combine this with the mixture of poisonous gases and sulphuric acid rain that has been discovered, and you have a scary vision of an atmosphere that has gone terriibly wrong. Scientists want to learn about the atmospheric warming that Venus experienced in the hope that we can learn vital lessons for our battle against global warming here on Earth.
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