Venus Life Finder Missions Motivation and Summary
Sara Seager, Janusz J. Petkowski, Christopher E. Carr, David H., Grinspoon, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Sarag J. Saikia, Rachana Agrawal, Weston P., Buchanan, Monika U. Weber, Richard French, Pete Klupar, Simon P. Worden,, Darrel Baumgardner (for the VLF Collaboration)
TL;DR
The Venus Life Finder missions aim to explore Venus's clouds for signs of life through a series of atmospheric probes, offering a cost-effective and rapid approach to astrobiology research.
Contribution
This paper introduces a novel series of Venus atmospheric probes specifically designed for astrobiology, developed through an MIT-led international study.
Findings
Proposed three direct atmospheric probes for Venus.
First two missions can be launched quickly and affordably.
Focus on assessing habitability and searching for signs of life.
Abstract
Finding evidence of extraterrestrial life would be one of the most profound scientific discoveries ever made, advancing humanity into a new epoch of cosmic awareness. The Venus Life Finder (VLF) missions feature a series of three direct atmospheric probes designed to assess the habitability of the Venusian clouds and search for signs of life and life itself. The VLF missions are an astrobiology-focused set of missions, and the first two out of three can be launched quickly and at a relatively low cost. The mission concepts come out of an 18-month study by an MIT-led worldwide consortium.
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