What about that OTHER planet??? (March 2025)
Yes, Venus! We hear so much about the Moon and Mars but not a lot about our other neighbour.
Venus is actually closer to us than Mars and can, at least in theory, also be terraformed to be made more like earth. The concept was first put forward by Carl Sagan back in 1962.
Venus, named after the Greek god of Beauty, is a planet almost the same size as earth. In fact, both earth and Venus have been described by astronomers as “twin sisters”.
What is Venus like?
While Venus and earth may be called “twin sisters”, they are very different from each other in numerous ways.
Venus has a very thick atmosphere (about 100 times thicker than earth’s) that consists of mostly carbon dioxide. Not only that but it constantly rains sulfuric acid but the planet is so hot that the acid evaporates before it even hits the ground!
The surface is a scorching, bone-dry desert that is about 475°C in average temperature - hot enough to melt lead! The planet has experienced a deadly runaway greenhouse effect that caused it to have very thick clouds that keep the heat in and make its surface hotter than that of Mercury, which is closer to the sun. It is through studying the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus that scientists began to learn of the greenhouse effect (more often referred to as global warming and climate change) that is now plaguing our own planet.
The Soviets were the first to send a probe to Venus back in the 1970s. It took just one picture of the ground near it before it ceased functioning.
Scientists believe that the planet was once cooler and more earth-like with oceans and, potentially, life too. They believe this because there is still a bit of water vapour in its atmosphere.
How can Venus be made more habitable for humans and other terrestrial life?
If Venus was seeded with a lot of genetically modified plants that could survive the harsh environment, they could begin absorbing the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to grow and reverse its runaway greenhouse effect, so the planet cooled. This would also result in the release of a lot of oxygen, which is what both humans and animals need most. Over time, hydrogen could be added to the atmosphere to mix with the oxygen and form water droplets (especially with the right temperature and atmospheric pressure) to fall as rain and create new seas and oceans. Eventually, the planet would become more like earth. Interestingly, with the makeup of Venus’s surface, it would have many islands as opposed to continents, like on earth.