"Poiuytrew1" says:

There is no life on Venus that we know of. As for whether or not it's possible, it certainly is. The kind of life that we on earth are familiar with definitely can't survive on Venus, but another form (probably not even carbon based) could possiblyexist there. It is, however, unlikely.

"AnswerKid328" Says:

Life on Venus is possible. TEMPE, ARIZONA Microbes may be riding high in the atmosphere of Earths sister planet, Venus.

A research team is proposing that a future mission to that cloud-covered world could scoop up the living proof, then transport the specimens for detailed inspection on board the International Space Station.

The speculative work was highlighted during the NASA Astrobiology Institute General Meeting 2003, being held here February 10-12. Upwards of 600 scientists from around the globe are presenting new findings in understanding the evolution of life on Earth and elsewhere in the Universe.

Atmospheric niche

Both ground-based instruments and spacecraft that have surveyed Venus shore up the prospect that the lower cloud deck of the Venusian atmosphere is a plausible habitat for microbial life.

"Our assertion that microbial life may exist in the Venusian atmosphere is based on the assumption that microbial life originated in an early Venusian ocean, or was brought in by meteorites from Earth or Mars. Life then adapted to the atmospheric niche when Venus lost its oceans," reported Dirk Schulze-Makuch, of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso.

These ideas are not free of problems, Schulze-Makuch told SPACE.com.

First there's the overall viability of an atmosphere as a habitat. Also, there's need for enough time for microbial life to adapt to the atmospheric niche from an oceanic-type of habitat. Toss in a scarcity of water and high doses of ultraviolet radiation, these too make it tough sledding for life finding a foothold in the clouds of Venus.

Blissful Biozone

To bolster the case for life on Venus, one needs to first look at Earths own atmosphere, Schulze-Makuch said. "Its not a point of discussion there are microbes in the Earths atmosphere that independently grow and reproduce. Actually, the conditions in the Venusian atmosphere would be much better [for microbes] than for Earths atmosphere," he said.

On Venus, clouds are at 31 miles (50 kilometers) altitude. That's perfect for a "biozone" a comfortable home for microbes that is relatively benign. Below that height things are too hot, and any higher theres too much ultraviolet radiation and zapping from cosmic rays.

Survival strategies

Schulze-Makuch said that he and his research colleagues contend that microbes floating above Venus have adopted one or more survival strategies.

One way is use of sulfur compounds. The microbes could wrap themselves in a thin coat of those compounds, thus screening out ultraviolet radiation but allowing photosynthesis to occur. That shell also thwarts sulfuric acid present in the clouds of Venus.

Next steps in furthering the Venus life idea are already moving forward. Not only is lab work underway, plans are afoot to use the Hubble Space Telescope to better characterize the clouds of Venus.

Collectibles

Ultimately, Schulze-Makuch said, a sample collection mission to Venus is needed. A top candidate in his mind is for a rocket-carrying balloon to first snag an atmospheric sample, then hurl the specimen up to a Venus orbiting mother ship. That craft then transfers the collectibles over to the International Space Station (ISS).

Scientists on board the ISS would "crack" the captured particles for detailed, internal inspection.

"Nobody will ever believe there's life on Venus until everybody sees it under the microscope its moving and waving back," Schulze-Makuch said.

Back to Venus

Getting back to Venus is already on the agenda of the European Space Agency (ESA). Late last month, ESA and Astrium, the aerospace industry consortium, signed a contract for the design and development of Venus Express, the first European spacecraft to visit the planet Venus.

Venus Express is scheduled for launch from the BaÃ¯konur Cosmodrome in

Kazakhstan during November 2005. The spacecraft is slated for a lengthy tour of duty at Venus, sure to shed more light on the planet as a potential abode for life.

A recently completed survey of future space missions by the U.S. National Research Council also green-lighted a Venus Explorer as a high priority that could be flown by NASA in the next decade.

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