NASA’s Magellan Mission Reveals Possible Tectonic Activity on Venus – NASA

NASA’s Magellan Mission Reveals Possible Tectonic Activity on Venus – NASA

Using archival data from the mission, launched in 1989, researchers have uncovered new evidence that tectonic activity may be deforming the planet’s surface. Vast, quasi-circular features on Venus’ surface may reveal that the planet has ongoing tectonics, according to new research based on data gathered more than 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan mission. On … Read more

NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise – NASA Science

NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise – NASA Science

New details about the crust on Venus include some surprises about the geology of Earth’s hotter twin. New details about the crust on Venus include some surprises about the geology of Earth’s hotter twin, according to new NASA-funded research that describes movements of the planet’s crust. Scientists expected the outermost layer of Venus’ crust would … Read more

NASA Installs Heat Shield on First Private Spacecraft Bound for Venus – NASA

NASA Installs Heat Shield on First Private Spacecraft Bound for Venus – NASA

Engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, Bohdan Wesely, right, and Eli Hiss, left, complete a fit check of the two halves of a space capsule that will study the clouds of Venus for signs of life. Led by Rocket Lab of Long Beach, California, and their partners at the Massachusetts Institute … Read more

Venus Blows Off Some Steam – NASA

Venus Blows Off Some Steam – NASA

Tall plumes of white vapor rise from the rocky Venusian surface in this April 19, 1977, artist’s concept. A little over a year later, NASA’s Pioneer Venus 1 would launch as the first of a two-spacecraft orbiter-probe combination designed to study the atmosphere of Venus. The first American spacecraft to orbit Venus, Pioneer Venus 1 … Read more

NASA DAVINCI Mission’s Many ‘Firsts’ to Unlock Venus’ Hidden Secrets – NASA Science

NASA DAVINCI Mission’s Many ‘Firsts’ to Unlock Venus’ Hidden Secrets – NASA Science

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the principal investigator institution for DAVINCI and will perform project management for the mission, provide science instruments, as well as project systems engineering to develop the in-situ probe flight system that will enter the atmosphere of Venus. Goddard also leads the overall science for the mission with an external science team from across the … Read more

Leader of NASA’s VERITAS Mission Honored With AGU’s Whipple Award – NASA

Leader of NASA’s VERITAS Mission Honored With AGU’s Whipple Award – NASA

Suzanne Smrekar, geophysicist and principal investigator of the agency’s upcoming VERITAS mission to Venus, is NASA JPL’s first recipient of the prestigious award. Suzanne Smrekar, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, received the Fred Whipple Award on Monday, Dec. 9, in Washington at the fall meeting of the American … Read more

5 Surprising NASA Heliophysics Discoveries Not Related to the Sun – NASA Science

5 Surprising NASA Heliophysics Discoveries Not Related to the Sun – NASA Science

5 min read 5 Surprising NASA Heliophysics Discoveries Not Related to the Sun With NASA’s fleet of heliophysics spacecraft, scientists monitor our Sun and investigate its influences throughout the solar system. However, the fleet’s constant watch and often-unique perspectives sometimes create opportunities to make discoveries that no one expected, helping us to solve mysteries about … Read more

Final Venus Flyby for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Queues Closest Sun Pass – NASA Science

Final Venus Flyby for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Queues Closest Sun Pass – NASA Science

The closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, will occur on Dec. 24, 2024, during which mission control will be out of contact with the spacecraft. Parker will send a beacon tone on Dec. 27, 2024, to confirm its success and the spacecraft’s health. Parker will remain in this orbit for the remainder of its … Read more

Ongoing Venus Volcanic Activity Discovered With NASA’s Magellan Data – NASA

Ongoing Venus Volcanic Activity Discovered With NASA’s Magellan Data – NASA

An analysis of data from Magellan’s radar finds two volcanoes erupted in the early 1990s. This adds to the 2023 discovery of a different active volcano in Magellan data. Direct geological evidence of recent volcanic activity on Venus has been observed for a second time. Scientists in Italy analyzed archival data from NASA’s Magellan mission … Read more