- It’s official. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has invited scientists to suggest studies for a potential orbiter mission to Venus – somewhat similar to the one that landed in Mars in 2013.
- ISRO plans to send a spacecraft that will initially go around Venus in an elliptical orbit before getting closer to the ‘Yellow Planet’.
- It will carry instruments weighing 175 kg and using 500W of power.
- The scientific community has been told to suggest space-based studies by May 19.
About Venus:
- Venus, the second planet from the Sun, comes closest to Earth roughly every 583 days, or about 19 months.
- Venus, our closest planetary neighbour, is similar to Earth in many aspects.
- However, it takes only 225 days to revolve around the Sun. Secondly, the surface is very hot due to nearness to the Sun.
- India’s previous and second planetary outing, the record-setting Rs. 450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) of 2013, continues to impress.
- The orbiter is going round the Red Planet even as you read this — well beyond its planned life of six months.
- An orbiter sent to the Moon in 2008 was delivering data until about three months before its estimated life span.
- A second Moon landing mission is planned in early 2018.
Source: The Hindu
