The Atmospheric Radiation Interaction Simulator (AtRIS) was used to model the altitude-dependent Venusian absorbed dose and the Venusian dose equivalent. For the first time, we modeled the dose rates for […]
Venus
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Chemically-distinct Regions Within Venus' Atmosphere Revealed by MESSENGER-measured N2 Concentrations
A defining characteristic of the planet Venus is its thick, CO2-dominated atmosphere. Despite over fifty years of robotic exploration, including thirteen successful atmosphere probes and landers, our knowledge of N2, […]
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Solar XUV And ENA-driven Water Loss From Early Venus' Steam Atmosphere
The influence of the hydrogen hydrodynamic upper atmosphere escape, driven by the solar soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation (XUV) flux, on an expected magma ocean outgassed steam atmosphere of […]
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Was Venus Once Warm And Wet? New Study of Lava Flow Suggests Not
A new study of the Ovda Fluctus lava flow on Venus indicates that it is made of basaltic lava. This discovery weakens the notion that Venus might once have been […]
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Could Venus Have Been Habitable?
Venus may have been a temperate planet hosting liquid water for 2-3 billion years, until a dramatic transformation starting over 700 million years ago resurfaced around 80% of the planet. […]
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Predicting The Yield of Potential Venus Analogs From TESS And Their Potential for Atmospheric Characterization
The transit method is biased toward short orbital period planets that are interior to their host star’s Habitable Zone (HZ). These planets are particularly interesting from the perspective of exploring […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, Venus
Venus As A Laboratory For Exoplanetary Science
The current goals of the astrobiology community are focused on developing a framework for the detection of biosignatures, or evidence thereof, on objects inside and outside of our solar system. […]
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Consequences Of Tidal Dissipation In A Putative Venusian Ocean
The solar tide in an ancient Venusian ocean is simulated using a dedicated numerical tidal model. Simulations with varying ocean depth and rotational periods ranging from -243 to 64 sidereal […]
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Venus As An Analog for Hot Earths
Here, we evaluate our nearest planetary neighbor, Venus, as an exemplar of the runaway greenhouse state that bounds the inner edge of the habitable zone. Despite its current hellish surface […]
Posted inPress Release, Venus
Is There Life Adrift in the Clouds of Venus?
Mars has geological features that suggest it once had — and still has — subsurface liquid water, an almost sure prerequisite for life. Scientists have also eyed Saturn’s moons Titan […]