Although a world stripped of water and melted by temperatures hot enough to liquefy lead, Venus may once have been a planet much like Earth. The vast oceans could have supported life, according to the latest discoveries of Venus Express, a European Space Agency (ESA) craft launched in November 2005 to investigate our "sister" planet.
"Our new data make it possible to construct a scenario in which Venus started out like the Earth, possibly including a habitable environment, billions of years ago, and evolved to the state we see now," said Professor Fred Taylor of Oxford University.
Once considered Earth’s twin planet, Venus became inhospitable for life due to a series of change events. The planet’s history led to loss of water, an atmosphere clogged with carbon dioxide and a runaway effect that gave rise to severe global warning.
The Venus Express, which has been orbiting Venus since 2006, has also helped to conclude why the climate of this planet is so severe, according to Prof. Taylor.
"It is now becoming clear why the climate on Venus is so different from Earth, when the planets themselves are otherwise quite similar," he said.
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