--- title: "NASA Plotting Journey Through the Hellish Atmosphere of Venus" description: "Venus may have once been a life-supporting system, and NASA is looking to shed light on how Earth's \"twin\" came to be — and how, more sinisterly, it died." date: "2022-06-07" modified: "2022-06-07" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-davinci-hellish-venus-atmosphere" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "NASA" - "space exploration" - "the digest" - "Venus" --- # NASA Plotting Journey Through the Hellish Atmosphere of Venus ![Venus may have once been a life-supporting system, and NASA is looking to shed light on how Earth's "twin" came to be — and how, more sinisterly, it died.]() *\Image: NASA\* Ever thought you might want to take a day trip to the second rock from the Sun? Well, you don’t. Seriously. Venus is a [toxic hellscape](). But it [may have once been a life-supporting system](), and a NASA paper [published in *The Planetary Science Journal*]() reveals new details about an upcoming mission looking to shed light on how [Earth's unwelcoming "twin"]() came to be. Ominously, it could even reveal how our sister planet came to die. Slated to launch in 2029, the mission — titled the Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, or DAVINCI for short — is [immensely ambitious](). If all goes to plan, DAVINCI will not only involve the first US space flight to Venus since [Magellan's death]() in 1994, but will also be the first US probe to [retrieve groundbreaking chemical data]() from the notoriously unwelcoming planet's ultra-thick atmosphere and nearly 900 degree Fahrenheit surface. The international space community has felt a [renewed interest in the not-so-heavenly body]() over the past few years, and NASA believes that a comprehensive workup of Venus' present day chemical composition can help us understand our noxious neighbor's past — if the planet was indeed inhabitable in the distant past, it would have taken a drastic event to trigger its demise. Described [by NASA spokesperson Nancy Neal Jones]() as a "flying analytical chemistry laboratory," the DAVINCI craft will perform a few fly-bys before sending a heat-shielded probe, equipped with five exploratory instruments, down to the planet's ultra-hot surface. NASA is hopeful that DAVINCI's findings will help researchers determine whether Venus ever [sustained liquid water](). The researchers also point out that the planet's uneven topography is suggestive of plate tectonics, which DAVINCI could provide evidence for as well. "This ensemble of chemistry, environmental, and descent imaging data will paint a picture of the layered Venus atmosphere and how it interacts with the surface in the mountains of Alpha Regio, which is twice the size of Texas," said Jim Garvin, DAVINCI principal investigator, [to *CNN*](). It won't be easy. Beyond the heat and the poison, the DAVINCI instruments will also face crushing surface air pressure. Scientists expect that the gadgets will only last about 17-18 minutes before meeting their doom. Crumbling under pressure? Relatable! But despite a short-lived surface life, scientists are hoping DAVINCI will peel back the curtain on Venus' puzzling history — and in the process, fill in some questions about our [Pale Blue Dot]()'s place in the cosmos. **READ MORE:** *[New NASA spacecraft could survive a hellish descent on Venus]()* \[CNN\] **More on exploratory space missions:** [*NASA Says It's a Priority to Investigate Strange Domes on the Moon*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()