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NASA Trains its Sights on Venus Again in 2028

July 5, 2021
ExoNews Editor

June 22, 2021 (timesnownews.com)

• With a budget of $1 billion, NASA will embark on two missions to Venus, each costing $500M. The missions – called DAVINCI+ and VERITAS – indicates renewed optimism in the second planet from the Sun and Earth’s closest neighbor. The missions are planned to launch between 2028 and 2030.

• Despite its similarities with Earth in terms of size and closeness to the Sun, it has been the belief that there is no life on Venus. Surface temperatures on Venus can rise to 471 degrees Celsius – hot enough to turn solid lead into liquid. Its atmosphere made up of largely poisonous carbon dioxide is also not conducive to life as we know it. Then last year, Phosphine – a compound of phosphorus and one of the signatures of life – was discovered in the planet’s atmosphere. This has emboldened scientists’ to question whether Venus may indeed have living organisms.

• The ‘Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging’ or ‘DAVINCI +’ mission aims to trace Venus’ atmospheric origins, how it originally formed and evolved, and why it differs so extraordinarily from Earth’s. Did Venus ever harbor water in the form of oceans or vapor from which life may have emerged, as it did on earth according to mainstream scientists?

• Upon its descent through the Venusian atmosphere, the DAVINCI+ module will drop a spherical probe carrying a mass spectrometer to collect samples of the atmosphere at various altitudes and return measurements back to the orbiting spacecraft to measure the mass of different molecules. DAVINCI+ will also study geological features on Venus known as ‘tesserae’ to uncover whether Venus has continents like those seen on Earth underneath its atmospheric blanket.

• The ‘Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSar, Topography and Spectogaphy’, or ‘VERITAS’ orbiter mission also intends to map the surface of the planet to better understand how changes in volcanic activity, climate and terrain caused the topology of Venus to evolve so dramatically differently than Earth’s topography. VERITAS will take high resolution, planet-wide topographic images of the Venusian surface, tracing its mountains and valleys. Additionally, the ‘Venus Emissivity Mapper’ instrument onboard VERTIAS will study gaseous emissions on the planet’s surface. It will also be able to detect water vapor, if any exists.

Recent years have seen Mars overwhelmingly claim the spotlight but news of NASA

greenlighting not one, but two missions to Earth’s closest neighbour, Venus indicates renewed optimism that our blue planet’s hellish twin may have much more to teach us than previously thought.

Both of NASA’s missions, DAVINCI + and VERITAS, will, reportedly, receive roughly $500 million each for development and are scheduled to launch between 2028 and 2030.

For decades, it was believed that there was no life on Venus despite the similarities it has with Earth in terms of size and closeness to the Sun. And the planet’s conditions provide good reason for this. Surface temperatures on Venus can rise to 471 degrees

**spherical probe to test Venus’ atmosphere**

Celsius – hot enough to turn solid lead into liquid. Its poisonous atmosphere made up of largely carbon dioxide is also not particularly conducive to life.

But an interesting discovery – albeit controversial, it is worth adding – made last year has

emboldened scientists’ convictions that Venus may, indeed, have living organisms. Phosphine – a compound of phosphorus and one of the signatures of life – was discovered in the planet’s atmosphere.

DAVINCI+

The discovery has been hotly debated but there is hope that the DAVINCI+ mission will finally put paid to it. The Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging or DAVINCI + mission primarily aims to trace Venus’ atmospheric origins, seeking to identify how it originally formed and evolved, and why it differs so extraordinarily from Earth’s.

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An Extraterrestrial “Channeler” Delivers a Message for Humanity

February 21, 2021
ExoNews Editor

Article by Arjun Walia January 30, 2021 (collective-evolution.com)

• Extraterrestrial-based UFOs are being afforded an unprecedented level of credibility within the mainstream. The idea of people from outer space is longer taboo and has become a serious topic of discussion. But when it comes to claiming to have had contact experiences we still have a ways to go.

• One sort of ET ‘contact experience’ is channeling – or receiving telepathic messages from extraterrestrials. The problem is that very often in channeling you are not communicating with the positive ET being that you think you are, as there are many telepathic tricksters out there. There are many who feel that one Englishman by the name of Dr. George King (1919-1997) (pictured above) truly channeled a benevolent higher being known as ‘Aetherius’ – a highly evolved extraterrestrial from Venus and part of an alliance of several extraterrestrial intelligences from other planets. Beginning in 1954, Aetherius told King, “Prepare yourself, you are to become the voice of interplanetary parliament.”

• For 43 years, from 1954 to1997. Dr. King dedicated himself to the teachings of advanced extraterrestrials to help Mother Earth and humanity as a whole, and to help navigate this period of great change. In order to attain the highest state of consciousness attainable on Earth – Cosmic Consciousness – Dr. King became a Master of Yoga. For more than a decade. Dr. King intensely practiced the higher forms of yoga an average of 8-10 hours per day, in order to master his own psychic abilities and to ultimately reach enlightenment.

• When Dr. King channeled Aetherius, King heard a disembodied voice speaking English to him within the room. The voice told him that he would become a voice in the interplanetary parliament, but King knew nothing about UFOs. In the 1950s there was no one he could turn to, so he threw himself into meditation. To King’s astonishment, his meditation brought forth a very physical Yogi Master whom King recognized, but who currently lived in India. The Yogi Master walked through the unopened door to enter the room, walked across the room and sat down in a chair. Through these types of physical and mental ‘contacts’ Aetherius would bring King new information and instructions, which King would pass along to his followers.

• A newsletter written back in the day by John and Margaret Storm and found in the FBI online archives, is an example of the impact that Dr. King’s channeled messages could have. Also, its worth noting that he FBI had enough interest in it to document it. The Storm’s newsletter provided the precise dates, times and locations of future flying saucer appearances all across North and Central America. Stating that the information had been supplied by George King, the newsletter noted that “George King is considered the best telepathic contact which the space people have”. Dr King’s credibility only grew over the succeeding decades.

• Another confirmation of King’s credibility is demonstrated in how in the 1950s, King relayed that the interplanetary parliament of space people were greatly concerned about Earth human’s use, testing and manufacturing of nuclear weapons. We now know that toward the end of the 1970s, the US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center actually tried to detonate a couple of nuclear weapons on the Moon to take scientific measurements. But according to AF Colonel Ross Dedrickson, these nuclear devices were destroyed by extraterrestrials before they could be detonated. Dedrickson noted that it was a “major concern” of the extraterrestrials, “to preserve the integrity of the Earth, because it (also) affects their own system….The idea of an explosion in space by any Earth government was not acceptable to the extraterrestrials, and that has been demonstrated over and over.”

• It’s public record that UFOs have been seen, many times, hovering over nuclear missile storage facilities when the missile launching capabilities were shut down. For example, in March of 1967, Captain Robert Salas reported a red, glowing UFO hovering just outside the front gate of Malmstrom Air Force Base missile launch facility in Montana. Suddenly, all of the nuclear missiles shut down and went completely dead.

• A document in the FBI Online Archive mention’s Dr. King’s contact experiences with extraterrestrials in the context of Nikola Tesla claimed to have been brought to Earth from Venus as a baby by “space people”. Tesla once said, “I think that nothing can be more important than interplanetary communication. It will certainly come someday. And the certitude that there are other human beings in the universe, working, suffering, struggling, like ourselves, will produce a magic effect on mankind and will form the foundation of a universal brotherhood that will last as long as humanity itself.”

• Dr. King claimed that these ET beings were concerned about humanity and the direction we are heading. That we need to do a better job at preserving the integrity of the Earth and living at a higher level of consciousness to bring about a better world. Service to others was a big part of the extraterrestrial message that came through him.

• The messages given to Dr, King corroborates with countless examples of continuing communications and events with UFOs and extraterrestrials, even 70 years later. Today, the Aetherius Society follows the teachings and information of Dr. King. A former student of Dr. King, Richard Lawrence, is the Executive Secretary of the Aetherius Society in Europe and Africa.

“Prepare yourself, you are to become the voice of interplanetary parliament,” is what Dr. George King (1919-1997) was told when he

was first contacted by extraterrestrial intelligence in 1954, known to him as “Aetherius,” whom, according to King, was a highly evolved extraterrestrial from Venus and part of an alliance of several extraterrestrial intelligences from other planets.

Before we go any further, please note that CE founder Joe Martino and myself recently sat down with Richard Lawrence for a podcast. Richard is the Executive Secretary for the Aetherius Society Europe and Africa. You can see him pictured above to the left of Dr. King. Lawrence was a close student of Dr. King. It was a very interesting discussion that dives into the topic of extraterrestrial messages, mainstream UFO disclosure, channeling extraterrestrials, spirituality, consciousness, the state of politics, the Aetherius Society and much more. You can listen to that podcast here.

Channeling is the ability to receive telepathic messages from supposed extraterrestrials. Many claim to have this ability, there are many who believe they do but probably don’t, and the idea of channeling extraterrestrials has exploded to the point where it’s hard to know who is being honest with themselves. I find the case of Dr. King to be much different, I personally believe he was one of the few channelers who was truly authentic. I’ve been studying this phenomenon for

more than fifteen years, and much of what King was relaying to humanity decades ago corroborates with a lot of information that’s come to light about the phenomenon today, in 2021. If there is anyone to consider “credible” within the phenomenon of channeling, I believe Dr. King is one of the best examples.

Dr. King was considered by many to be a Master of Yoga able to enter the highest state of consciousness attainable on Earth – Cosmic Consciousness, also known as nirvana or nirvikalpa samadhi. For more than a decade he had devoted himself to the intense practice of yoga for an average of 8-10 hours per day. Not so much yoga for physical fitness, wellbeing or relaxation, but the higher forms of yoga – for the mastery of psychic abilities and ultimately enlightenment. Dr. King believed, like it says in the ancient mystic Upanishads, that the greatest gift that anyone can give to anyone else is wisdom. And, conversely, that the greatest crime is to cause confusion by giving people the wrong teaching. For 43 years (1954-1997) he dedicated himself to his mission of helping the Mother Earth and helping humanity as a whole navigate this period of great change. This mission was in

essence to spread, and act upon, the teachings of advanced extraterrestrial intelligences.

It was in English, the voice was not in the head, this was no psychic apparition, the voice was outside of myself and it said, prepare yourself you are to become the voice of interplanetary parliament. Well, I had no idea what that meant, I knew nothing about UFOs in those days, I had not studied them, but I have studied Yoga and I studied Yoga long enough to realize that this was very important. And it was eight days after this first event that I decided that the only way that I could solve this mystery, because nobody else could help me and I tried many people, was to go into meditation myself. So I locked myself in the room, fully determined to stay there until I found some answer. Well I didn’t have to stay very long because a man, physical, who I did recognize, he was alive in India at the time, a well known Yogi master, he walked into the room, without me having to open the door by the way, he walked across the floor and sat down in the chair which creaked

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Ariel’s Search For Extraterrestrial Life

December 15, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Giovanni Mussini November 30, 2020 (oxfordstudent.com)

• The European Ariel space telescope (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey) has been given the go-ahead for launch in 2029. Intended to map the atmospheres and chemical environments of distant exoplanets, the Ariel spacecraft’s search range will target hundreds of planets in the hotter Goldilocks zones in order to build a standard model of atmospheres based on the attributes of its host star and planetary environments.

• Different atmospheric components imprint distinctive patterns on the starlight beaming through. While not conducive to life itself, planets having an “atmospheric cauldron” that can circulate freely allows Ariel to capture more representative spectral signatures to create a standard model.

• The presence of unique ‘biosignatures’ arise due to the unique self-organizing properties of life. But at the same time, anomalies are unlikely to be spectacular or self-evident. Take Venus for example. Venus is a planetary inferno bathed in sulphuric acid rains, with a mean surface temperature high enough to melt lead. The biosignature of phosphine – a chemical created by living organisms – was detected in the cooler high-altitude Venusian clouds. But it is uncertain whether the presence of phosphine is due to biological activity, exotic abiotic chemistries, or a blip in the data.

• Time and again, attempts to map molecular pathways to life from simple organics have failed. Promising places – such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents – have proven an unlikely starting point for biology. The necessary interdependence of proteins, membranes, and nucleic acids may require simultaneous assembly, rather than in a stepwise fashion. Across the cosmos, the least unlikely places for spontaneous life to occur might be mineral-rich ephemeral pools bombarded by UV radiation. This is bad news for life. Temperate gas giants, oceanic super-Earths, and promising icy moons would all be ruled out. Perhaps biology really needs a planet like ours to get started: rocky, temperate, and tectonically active, with emerging landmasses. Places like these probably do exist, dotting the spiral arms of our galaxy.

• If the history of the Earth is any guide, evolution may rise to the challenges of alien worlds where there is living material to work from in the first place. Even on Venus, where balmy oceans existed as recently as 700 million years ago, life may have escaped the planet’s descent into a greenhouse nightmare by migrating to the higher atmosphere. As robotic emissaries and telescopic eyes return troves of data on far-flung worlds, sensational discoveries may come. But we are probably in for a long wait.

After years in the pipeline, the Ariel space telescope has been given the go-ahead for launch in 2029. This spacecraft is the brainchild of a cooperative European endeavour to map the atmospheres and chemical environments of far-flung worlds. If all goes well, Ariel will bring planetary science out of the solar system, and into uncharted territory. However, alien hunters may have to keep their enthusiasm in check – for now.

Ariel will peer at a range of exoplanets, but its focus will be on worlds baked by their home stars at over 320 ºC. By all measures, these are extremely unlikely abodes for life. Even so, the detection technique available to Ariel makes them attractive targets.

The telescope will search for faint chemical fingerprints as planets transit in front of their star. By only soaking up particular wavelengths, different atmospheric components imprint distinctive patterns on the starlight beaming through. The closer a planet is to its star, the more frequent the transits and the opportunities to carry out observations. Another perk of closely orbiting hellish worlds is that they wear their atmospheric makeup on their sleeve. Whereas gases may sink or coalesce into clouds on cooler planets, in an atmospheric cauldron they can circulate freely, allowing Ariel to capture more representative spectral signatures.

Ariel’s predecessors had to split their focus between probing exoplanetary atmospheres and other tasks. Instead, the ESA spacecraft will be solely dedicated to this endeavour, broadening the search to an unprecedented number of targets – hundreds of them. This is a cause for excitement. By gathering data en masse, Ariel will build towards something that has been sorely lacking in the quest for living worlds: a standard model of how atmospheres arise based on their host star and planetary environments. Understanding what is in line with this model, and what is not, may help scientists home in on genuine anomalies.

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Search for Aliens Should Begin on Venus

November 24, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Joel Day November 14, 2020 (express.co.uk)

• The search for microbial life has largely been focused Mars and Jupiter’s moons, for example, Europa, which is thought to have stores of frozen lakes and freshwater. Venus had rarely crossed the minds of scientists. Then a few months ago, Researchers at Cardiff University announced that they’d found traces of phosphine – a key biological signature of life – in Venus’ atmosphere.

• The discovery was a paradox. Venus’ surface is extremely inhospitable: hot enough to melt lead. Sulphuric acid makes up most of the planet’s atmosphere. W such high temperatures and lack of oxygen, the phosphine gas should technically disappear within minutes of popping into existence.

• It is widely accepted that billions of years ago Venus, Earth and Mars had similar genetic makeup, formed from the same rocks and metals. However, it is presumed that ‘climate catastrophes’ devastated Venus and Mars. Today, Venus appears to be the antithesis to everything that sustains life. The atmospheric ground pressure in Venus is as if you were beneath 900m of water on Earth. The atmosphere acts more like a fluid than a gas. It is so dense that winds can move small rocks with ease.

• “Venus is an extremely cloudy world: only 20 percent of incident sunlight percolates down to the surface,” notes British astronomer Dr. Mark A. Garlick. The presence of dark patches or bands, so-called ‘unknown absorbers’, discovered more than a century ago, block most ultraviolet light and a portion of visible light, rendering these regions comparatively dark.

• Despite its soaring temperatures, Venus is only a heat trap on its surface. At an altitude of 50km, the atmospheric pressure drops to a temperature comparable to a temperate day on Earth. This is Venus’ habitable zone.

• Dr. Garlick is calling for endeavors into the search for alien life to change tack and focus on Venus, as it “is the easiest to reach”. “At an altitude of 50km, floating habitats would be the ideal launch pad from which to search for signs of life in the clouds,” said Dr. Garlick. “Perhaps our search for extraterrestrial cousins among the planets should begin there.”

• Bacteria swept up in water particles into the Earth’s atmosphere can survive at altitudes as high as 4km. Thus, the proposition that bacteria could survive the higher reaches of Venus’ atmosphere isn’t as ludicrous as it might first seem. The phosphine on Venus could be produced by a process that humans have not yet discovered. This gap in knowledge is the most “exciting” element of the discovery, says Dr. Garlick. “Phosphine, and the unknown substances absorbing ultraviolet light, taken together make a good case for studying (Venus) more closely.”

• Life in these conditions would be “undoubtedly very hardy”, says Dr. Garlick. “But, vitally, not impossible.”

Venus’ surface is extremely inhospitable: hot enough to melt lead, sulphuric acid lingers and makes up the best part of the planet’s atmosphere. Yet, only a few months ago, scientists for the first time found evidence for life on Earth’s scorching neighbour. Researchers at Cardiff University shocked the astronomical community after they identified traces of phosphine – a key biological signature of life – in Venus’ atmosphere.

The discovery was nothing short of a paradox: with soaring temperatures and lack of oxygen the gas should technically disappear within minutes if it ever pops into existence.

Thus, the search for life on Venus had rarely crossed the minds of scientists.

Efforts had largely been focused on Mars and Jupiter’s moons, for example, Europa, which is thought to have stores of frozen lakes and freshwater.

Now, researchers are calling for endeavours into alien life to change tack, and begin closer to home.

Dr Mark A Garlick noted that there are several other places in the Solar System touted as potential abodes of life, but are as of yet undiscovered.

He reasoned: “But among these worlds, it’s Venus that is the easiest to reach.

“At an altitude of 50km, floating habitats would be the ideal launch pad from which to search for signs of life in the clouds.

“Perhaps our search for extraterrestrial cousins among the planets should begin there.”

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Are Drones the Worst Thing to Happen to UFOs Since Orson Welles?

November 19, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by David MacQuarrie November 10, 2020 (dronedj.com)

• In 1938, actor/ director Orson Welles frightened listeners with his Halloween prank radio broadcast of a Martian invasion in War of the Worlds. For years after that, the skies remained more or less clear of extraterrestrial menace. Then in 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold says he spotted flying objects skipping like saucers over the Cascade Mountain Range near Seattle. This time there was no Orson Welles to blame it on. UFOs became part of the cultural landscape. When we see lights in the sky, they’re usually blamed on the planet Venus, aircraft, oddball reflections or swamp gas (uh, swamp gas?) Still, there is a minority of reports that defy easy explanation.

• Drones have become the go-to explanation for any mysterious lights in the sky. This month, people were startled to see mysterious lights in the skies over Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But they turned out to be drones practicing for a Christmas Pageant light show over a festival park. People in New Jersey reporting a UFO were told it was a police drone. Factories in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China have filled the skies with hundreds of thousands drones.

• “A significant amount of UFOs that we investigate are hobby drones,” said Ken Jordan, Texas’ chief of investigations for the international Mutual UFO Network. A high-flying aircraft moving at impossible speeds can be mistaken for a low-flying drone puttering along at 20 k/h. Acrobatics that seem to defy the laws of physics are now on routine display at drone airshows, no extraterrestrial technology needed.

• Even when the New York Times published US Navy videos of strange objects flying off the East Coast of the US, the Navy pilots assumed they were drones. They didn’t especially look like drones, but really what else could they be? Perhaps the mothership is parked ominously just behind the Moon and is sending its vile horde of drone-shaped legions toward our unsuspecting planet. Perhaps we should be vigilant like the character Ned Scott in The Thing from Another World: “Keep watching the skies”. But if you do see something up there, it’s probably just a drone.

This month, mysterious lights startled some people looking to the skies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Readers of this

website will already know there is no mystery; the UFO lights at Maier Festival Park were just drones practicing for a Christmas Pageant light show.

But there’s a long history of alarming lights in the sky and earthlings assuming it just can’t be good.

Actor/ Director Orson Welles frightened many listeners in 1938 with his Halloween prank radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. It’s controversial just how many people actually feared Martian invasion. But a lot of listeners felt silly once the hoax was revealed, and CBS fought at least one lawsuit. For years after that, the skies remained more or less clear of extraterrestrial menace.

Until 1947. That’s when pilot Kenneth Arnold says he spotted flying objects skipping like saucers over the Cascade Range near Seattle. This time there was no Orson Welles to ‘fess up. UFOs were with us and became part of the cultural landscape.

Most turn out to be sightings of the planet Venus, aircraft, oddball reflections or swamp gas. (Really? Who’s fooled by swamp gas?)
Still, there was always a tiny minority of reports that defied easy explanation.

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Venus Is a ‘Russian Planet,’ Says Roscosmos Chief

September 27, 2020
ExoNews Editor

September 15, 2020 (themoscowtimes.com)

• Following new research published in the journal Nature Astronomy of British and American scientists’ discovery of phosphine gas in Venus’ clouds, suggesting the possibility that there might be extraterrestrial life in Venusian clouds (see yesterday’s ExoArticle here) the chief of the Russian space agency ‘Roscosmos’, Dmitry Rogozin, contended that prior research by Russian scientists has indicated that Venus is inhospitable to life.

• “Our country was the first and only one to successfully land on Venus,” Rogozin told the audience at the 2020 HeliRussia exhibition. “The [Russian] spacecraft gathered information about the planet. [I]t is like hell over there.” He assured the audience that, as such, Venus is a “Russian planet”.

• While the Russian space agency still plans to carry out the Venera-D mission in cooperation with the United States this coming decade, Roscosmos announced plans to launch an independent Russian expedition to Venus as well, without international cooperation.

• ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’, a program funded by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner in association with SETI, announced that it will fund a study into the possibility of life in Venus’ clouds, led by Sara Seager from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Venus is a “Russian planet,” the head of Russia’s state space agency said Tuesday following new research that suggests there could be life on the

second planet from the sun.

The research, published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Monday, details British and American scientists’ discovery of phosphine gas in Venus’ clouds and puts forward possible theories for its origin, including that of extraterrestrial life.

Speaking at the 2020 HeliRussia exhibition, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said prior research by Russian scientists indicated that the planet is inhospitable to life.

“Our country was the first and only one to successfully land on Venus,” Rogozin said. “The [Russian] spacecraft gathered information about the planet — it is like hell over there.”

Roscosmos also announced plans Tuesday to launch an independent Russian expedition to Venus “without involving wide international cooperation.” The expedition will take place in addition to the previously planned Venera-D mission, which is being carried out in cooperation with the United States.

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A Chemical on Venus Hints at Possible Life, Says Study

September 26, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Becky Ferreira September 14, 2020 (vice.com)

• Jane Greaves and her fellow astronomers at Cardiff University wanted to dial into the Atacama Telescope Array in Chile and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii to look for ‘biosignatures’, or ‘signs of life’ on the planet Venus (pictured above). Lo and behold, they identified the spectral fingerprints of the gas, phosphine – a compound produced by some lifeforms on Earth – at about 20 parts-per-billion in the Venusian clouds, according to a study published September 14th in Nature Astronomy.

• Greaves cautioned that the discovery of phosphine is “not robust evidence for life” on Venus. While it may be produced by certain lifeforms on Earth, the research team notes that “phosphine could originate from unknown photochemistry or geochemistry, or, by analogy with biological production of phosphine on Earth, from the presence of life.”

• Greaves and her colleagues simulated possible alternative sources of phosphine that might arise on Venus without any help from life, including photochemical reactions, lightning or meteorites. None of those scenarios can explain the presence of phosphine on Venus, which means a ‘biotic origin’ cannot be ruled out at this point.

• Venus is notoriously inhospitable to life on its surface. The environment in the Venusian skies, about 30 to 40 miles above its surface, is far friendlier and has been characterized as relatively Earth-like. But Venus is woefully unexplored compared to the Moon and Mars, leaving scientists with huge knowledge deficits about its intricate natural processes. “[T]o determine whether there is life in the clouds of Venus, substantial modelling and experimentation will be [needed],” the team concluded.

**James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii**

Scientists have detected tantalizing traces of a gas on Venus that may indicate the presence of alien life

in its clouds, according to a bombshell study published on Monday in Nature Astronomy.

This discovery of phosphine, a compound produced by some lifeforms on Earth, is “not robust evidence for life” on Venus, emphasized researchers led by Jane Greaves, an astronomer at Cardiff University.

However, there’s currently no abiotic explanation for the presence of the gas, which means a biotic origin cannot be ruled out at this point.

The presence of phosphine remains “unexplained after exhaustive study” that yielded “no currently known abiotic production routes” in Venus’s atmosphere, clouds, surface, or subsurface, Greaves and her colleagues said in the study.

“Phosphine could originate from unknown photochemistry or geochemistry, or, by analogy with biological production of phosphine on Earth, from the presence of life,” the team added.

Venus is notoriously inhospitable to life on its surface, which is a hellscape of nightmarish proportions. But the environment in the Venusian skies, about 30 to 40 miles above its tortured landscape, is far friendlier, and has been characterized as relatively Earthlike.

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“The Search for Techno-Artifacts” From an Earlier Civilization in the Solar System

May 14, 2020
ExoNews Editor

May 2, 2020 (dailygalaxy.com)

• In his 2016 study, ‘Prior Indigenous Technological Species’, Penn State’s Jason Wright discussed possible origins and locations for “technosignatures” of a technological species’ civilization that could have existed in the solar system prior to humanity’s rise on Earth, or on nearby planets Venus and Mars. “From a purely scientific standpoint, it’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask whether life may have existed elsewhere in the Solar System, or does today,” said Wright, who is also a member of the ‘Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds’ at Penn State.

• What could have ended a prior technologically advanced civilization within our solar system? “The most obvious answer is a cataclysm, whether a natural event, such as an extinction-level asteroid impact or self-inflicted, such as a global climate catastrophe,” says Wright. “[S]uch an event would only permanently extinguish the species if there were many cataclysms across the solar system closely spaced in time, (such as) a swarm of comets or interplanetary warfare, …an unexpected nearby gamma ray burst or supernova…”

• In the case of Venus, its global greenhouse and resurfacing might have erased all evidence of a prior civilization’s existence on the Venusian surface. In the case of Earth, erosion and plate tectonics may have erased most of such evidence if the species lived a billion years ago. Remaining indigenous technosignatures would be extremely old, limiting the places they might still be found to beneath the surfaces of Mars and the Moon, or in the outer solar system.

• In a 2019 study co-written by Manasvi Lingam (at Florida Tech) and Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb entitled, “The Moon as a Fishing Net for Extraterrestrial Life”, Loeb suggested that Earth’s Moon might yield traces of technological equipment that crashed on the lunar surface a billion years ago. “The absence of a lunar atmosphere,” wrote Loeb, “guarantees that these messengers would reach the lunar surface without burning up. In addition, the geological inactivity of the Moon implies that the record deposited on its surface will be preserved and not mixed with the deep lunar interior. Serving as a natural mailbox, the lunar surface collected all impacting objects during the past few billions of years. Most of this “mail” comes from within the solar system.”

One of the primary open questions of astrobiology is whether there is extant or extinct life elsewhere the Solar System. Astrophysicists Avi Loeb at Harvard and Penn State’s Jason Wright have both explored the question, with Loeb suggesting that ancient technological artifacts from beyond the Solar System may exist on Earth’s Moon amounting to a letter from an alien civilization saying, “We exist.”

Wright, a member of the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, has considered the possibility that a technological

species could have existed in the Solar System prior to humanity’s rise on Earth in his study, Prior Indigenous Technological Species.

In 2016, Wright authored a paper that discussed possible origins and locations for “technosignatures” of such a civilization while other astronomers have suggested looking for lights on Kuiper Belt Objects that “may serve as a lamppost which signals the existence of extraterrestrial technologies and thus civilizations.”

The origins and possible locations for technosignatures of such a prior indigenous technological species might have arisen on ancient Earth or another body, such as a pre-greenhouse Venus or a wet Mars. In the case of Venus, the arrival of its global greenhouse and potential resurfacing might have erased all evidence of its existence on the Venusian surface. In the case of Earth, erosion and, ultimately, plate tectonics may have erased most such evidence if the species lived a billion years ago. Remaining indigenous technosignatures, observes Wright, might be expected to be extremely old, limiting the places they might still be found to beneath the surfaces of Mars and the Moon, or in the outer Solar System.

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Russian Scientists Prove Life Can Survive on Mars, Venus, and Jupiter’s Ice Moon

May 5, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Sput Nick April 26, 2020 (sputniknews.com)

• Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute conducted simulations of Venus’ atmospheric conditions and discovered that microscopic fungi can survive and thrive in high levels of ionizing radiation and sharp jumps in temperature. Scientists believe that microorganisms may be present in the upper layers of Venus’s atmosphere.

• The researchers also studied microorganisms in temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Arctic to simulate conditions on the surface of Mars. Here too, the bacteria proved quite adaptable to survival.

• The Russian scientists then studied soil bacteria present in the Mojave Desert, which is considered analogous to the kinds of microbial communities that may be found on Mars. The micororganisms were highly resistant to temperature, pH levels, and the presence of salts and strong oxidizing agents.

• The researchers also tested whether microorganisms could survive in conditions found on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, known to have a water-ice crust. Recreating bacteria embedded in ice at -130 degrees Celsius (minus 202 degrees Fahrenheit), scientists found that the bacteria could still theoretically survive at depths of 10-100 cm over a period of 1,000-10,000 years in the moon’s subglacial oceans.

• The prestigious Space Research Institute is a complement to Russia’s manned space program, taking part in multiple ongoing Roscosmos, European Space Agency and NASA missions on the study of the solar system, and goes back to Soviet-era probes of Venus and Mars.

Theories about the possible habitability of Earth’s closest neighbours go back to the dawn of the space age, with scientists creating increasingly complex instruments to try to confirm beyond a doubt whether such life exists in the years since.

Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute have completed simulations of the Venetian atmosphere’s conduciveness to sustaining life, discovering that micromycetes (a type of microscopic fungi) can survive and thrive in Venus-like atmospheric conditions, where high levels of radiation and sharp jumps in temperature are the norm. Specifically, laboratory testing found that high doses of ionizing radiation do not lead to the fungi’s demise.

Scientists conducted their experiments on the basis of long-held scientific theories that microorganisms associated with mineral particles may be present in the upper layers of Venus’s atmosphere.

The researchers also performed research involving microorganisms found in the Arctic to simulate conditions on the surface of Mars – subjecting them to radiation and temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius. Here too, scientists found that the bacteria proved quite adaptable to survival.

Additionally, the Russian scientists studied soil bacteria present in the Mojave Desert, considered by many academics to be a terrestrial analogue to the kinds of microbial communities that may be found on Mars. The research showed that these micororganisms are highly resistant to a range of stress factors, such as cultivation temperature, pH levels, and the presence of salts and strong oxidizing agents.

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Did a Russian Scientist Discover Life on Venus 30 Years Back?

April 24, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Article by Nirmal Narayanan April 17, 2020 (ibtimes.sg)

• In 1981, the USSR launched the Venera 13 space probe to explore Venus. The space race between the USSR and the United States had reached its peak and details of the Soviet space mission were highly confidential. Thirty years later, Russian scientist Leonid Ksanfomaliti published an article in the journal Solar System Research, claiming that the probe had detected something crawling across the surface of Venus, considered one of the hottest planets in the solar system. In his paper, Leonid Ksanfomaliti claims that the morphological features of the object spotted on Venus suggests that it was a living being.

• A Quest TV documentary – “NASA’s Unexplained Files” discusses the mysterious entity that moved across Venus. It describes the Venere 13 space probe’s mission: “A Soviet space probe reaches the hottest planet in the Solar System. A lander packed with a payload of cameras and scientific instruments plunges more than 48km through clouds of sulphuric acid to reach the surface. The probe sends back images that seem to show something moving on the surface. It takes three decades before a Russian scientist, Leonid Ksanfomaliti, reveals astonishing images from the archives.”

• Experts at NASA say that the object spotted in the photographic images taken by Venera 13 probe is the lens cap from the Venera’s camera.

• [Editor’s Note] The Soviets had been attempting unsuccessfully to land a viable probe on Venus witht the start of the Venera program in 1961. It wasn’t until Venera 4 in 1967 that a probe was able to send back atmospheric readings before succumbing to the harsh conditions of the planet. Veneras 5 and 6 in 1969 were more successful still, sending back atmosphereic readings for a full hour before going quiet. In 1975, Venera 9 sent back the first images taken of Venus’s surface terrain in natural sunlight. The 1978 Venera 10 probe confirmed the planet’s desolate surface which receives some small amount of sunlight throught its dense atmosphere. It also confirmed the particularly reflective nature of the of the cloud cover engulfing Venus. For the most part, the terrain of Venus was revealed to be a sterile, scorched desert with layers of solidified, crumbly lava. In 1978, the Soviets also sent up the Venera 11 and 12 Venus probes to collect more telemetry from the Venera 9 and 10 landers.

In March 1981, Veneras 13 and 14 landers were made with special alloys and lubricants to withstand the Venusian heat. They had color cameras mounted to the outside of the lander, nd the ability to drill into the surface. They both appeared to have landed on solidified lava flows in the same general area. In 1983, the Veneras 15 and 16 traveled to Venus and remained in orbit around the planet, relying on cloud-penetrating imaging radar to further map Venus’ surface.

Apparently, the “life” on Venus to which this article refers was a small caterpillar-like creature just at the foot of the lander, taken point blank by the color cameras mounted on the lander.

Several space experts strongly believe that alien life, at least in its microbial form could be present within the solar system. Most space scientists

speculate that the probable candidates to find alien life within the solar system are Mars, Venus, and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Now, fresh reports suggest that the then Soviet Union discovered traces of extraterrestrial existence on Venus, around 30 years back.

Did the USSR discover alien life on Venus?

It was in 1981 that the USSR launched the Venere 13 probe to explore Venus. Details of the mission were maintained very confidentially by space scientists, and it was during this time that the space race between the USSR and the United States reached its peak.

After 30 years, Russian scientist Leonid Ksanfomaliti published an article in the journal Solar System Research, claiming that evidence of alien life was discovered by the probe three decades ago. The evidence was actually an unknown moving entity that crawled across the surface of Venus.

Quest TV documentary ‘NASA’s Unexplained Files’ also talked about the mysterious entity that moved across Venus, which is considered one of the hottest planets in the solar system.

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George Adamski Got Famous Sharing UFO Photos and Alien ‘Encounters’

January 19, 2020
ExoNews Editor

Listen to “E225 George Adamski Got Famous Sharing UFO Photos and Alien ‘Encounters’” on Spreaker.

Article by Greg Daugherty January 9, 2020 (history.com)

• George Adamski is perhaps the most famous UFO contactee and is certainly one of the most controversial characters in UFO history. Throughout his life, Adamski took photos of UFOs, wrote books and told stories of his encounters with human-like extraterrestrials from other planets in our solar system, gaining international fame as well as criticism.

• Adamski was born in Poland in 1891, coming to the U.S. with his parents and growing up in northern New York state. He had little formal education. In 1934, he told a Los Angeles Times reporter that he had lived in Tibet as a child, and planned to establish the first Tibetan monastery in Laguna Beach, California. In 1936, he told the newspapers that he was going to establish the world headquarters of an organization called ‘Universal Progressive Christianity’ in Laguna Beach. He also offered a tax plan to end the Great Depression in 1938.

• After World War II, Adamski’s ambitions turned to UFOs. In October 1946, he spotted his first UFO – a motionless black cigar-shaped craft. In August 1947, he witnessed a procession of 184 UFOs in the sky. By 1949, he’d attached a camera to his six-inch telescope and began scanning the skies. Adamski estimated that he took about 500 flying saucer photos, from which he got a dozen good quality shots. Newspapers and magazines published Adamski’s photos, and he gave lectures on UFOs. He also operated a tiny restaurant with a small telescope set up out back (in a rural area between Los Angeles and San Diego).

• In 1952, Adamski reported that he had met and conversed with a visitor from Venus in a California desert using a combination of hand gestures and mental telepathy, which he recounted in his 1953 book: Flying Saucers Have Landed. His 1955 sequel: Inside the Space Ships, recounted meeting human-like emissaries from Mars and Saturn. Adamski claimed that every planet in our solar system had human-like inhabitants, as did a base on the dark side of the Earth’s Moon.

• In his books, Adamski claimed that his extraterrestrial friends took him aboard a scout ship, flew him to a mother ship hovering over the Earth, gave him a ride around the Moon, and treated him to a colorful travelogue about life on Venus. He said that a 1,000 year-old man shared with him the secrets of the universe, some of which he was not allowed to divulge back on Earth.

• Adamski recounted his meeting in November 1952 with a human-like visitor from Venus in a remote part of the California desert. “The beauty of his form surpassed anything I had ever seen,” said Adamski. “(His) hair was sandy in color and hung in beautiful waves to his shoulders, glistening more beautifully than any woman’s I have ever seen.” The Venusian had come to deliver a message: ‘Earthlings should stop messing around with atomic bombs before they destroy their entire planet.’

• Project Bluebook investigator J. Allen Hynek called Adamski’s flying saucer photos ‘crude fakes’. Hynek’s Bluebook partner, Edward J. Ruppelt, visited Adamski’s restaurant in 1953 to find Adamski hawking his UFO photos. While Ruppelt didn’t believe him, he wrote that he was impressed all the same. “To look at the man and to listen to his story, you had an immediate urge to believe him,” said Ruppelt, … he had “the most honest pair of eyes I’ve ever seen.” SciFi writer Arthur C. Clarke also denounced Adamski’s work and called his believers “nitwits.” But in 1959, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands invited Adamski to her palace to discuss extraterrestrials. Adamski is said to have also had a secret meeting with the Pope in 1963.

• In 1961, Adamski published his last book: Flying Saucers Farewell, and continued to lecture widely. In 1965, Adamski predicted that a large fleet of flying saucers would soon descend on Washington, D.C. He died in April 1965 at age 74.

• Since his death, Adamski’s critics have tended to portray him as a harmless, small-time con artist. Others like Arthur C. Clarke and J. Allen Hynek have accused Adamski of discrediting the entire field of UFO research. But Adamski stuck by his story to the end. In his first book, Adamski gave an upbeat but ominous message: “Let us be friendly. Let us recognize and welcome the men from other worlds! They are here among us.”

To some, he was a prophet. To others, a laughing stock. Even today, more than half a century after his death, George Adamski remains one of the most curious and controversial characters in UFO history.

Adamski had multiple claims to UFO fame. Starting in the late 1940s, he took countless photos of what he insisted were flying saucers. But experts, including J. Allen Hynek, scientific consultant to the Air Force’s Cold War-era UFO investigation team Project Blue Book, dismissed them as crude fakes.

Then, in 1952, Adamski reported that he had met and conversed with a visitor from Venus in a California desert, using a combination of hand gestures and mental telepathy.

His story would only get stranger from there.

A star gazer is born

Adamski chronicled his alleged adventures in several books. The first, Flying Saucers Have Landed (1953), coauthored with Desmond Leslie, recounted his chat with the Venusian. Widely read at the time, it later gained a new generation of fans in the trippy 1960s.

Adamski’s 1955 sequel, Inside the Space Ships, described further meetings, not only with the Venusian but also with emissaries from Mars and Saturn.In Adamski’s telling, every planet in our solar system was populated with human-like inhabitants, as was the dark side of the earth’s moon.

In the 1955 book, Adamski claimed that his new friends took him aboard one of their scout ships, flew him to an immense mother ship hovering over the earth, gave him a ride around the moon and treated him to a colorful travelogue about life on Venus.

Along the way, he was also tutored by a space man he called “the master.” The master, who was said to be nearly 1,000 years old, shared the secrets of the universe with Adamski, only some of which he was allowed to divulge back on earth.

Preposterous as his stories seemed, Adamski became an international celebrity and lectured widely. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands raised a public stir after inviting him to her palace in 1959 to discuss extraterrestrial doings. Adamski supposedly claimed a secret 1963 meeting with the pope, as well.

Adamski soon had followers all over the planet. But not everybody was on board. Arthur C. Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, not only denounced Adamski’s work but characterized his believers as “nitwits.”

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Planet Venus May Have Been Habitable For Billions of Years, NASA Says

January 19, 2020
ExoNews Editor

EXONEWS FLASHBACK Article by Sarah Knapton September 22, 2019 (telegraph.co.uk)

• New computer modelling by NASA Goddard Institute for Space Science presented at the European Planetary Science Congress suggests that the planet Venus may have been habitable for billions of years. “Our hypothesis is that Venus may have had a stable climate for billions of years,” said lead researcher Dr Michael Way.” “Our models show that there is a real possibility that Venus could have been habitable and radically different from the Venus we see today.”

• Computer models of the climate history of Venus, the second planet from the Sun, show that until around 700 million years ago temperatures ranged from 68F to 122F, cool enough for liquid water. Venus’ oceans may have lasted for two or three billion years. However, Dr Way says that “in all of the modelled scenarios, we have found that Venus could still support surface temperatures amenable for liquid water.”

• 715 million years ago, the atmosphere of Venus would have been dominated by nitrogen with trace amounts of carbon dioxide and methane – similar to the Earth’s today – and these conditions could have remained stable up until present times. But Dr Way believes that intense volcanic activity around 700 million years ago transformed Venus by releasing carbon dioxide from molten rocks into the atmosphere. The magma solidified before reaching the surface, creating a barrier that prevented the gas from being reabsorbed, causing runaway global warming.

• In the 1980s, NASA’s Pioneer Venus mission found hints that the planet once had a shallow ocean. Because the planet receives far more sunlight than Earth, scientists believed it evaporated before life could be established. With no water on the surface, carbon dioxide rose in the atmosphere, triggering a runaway greenhouse effect that created a crushing carbon dioxide atmosphere 90 times as thick as Earth’s, and temperatures at the surface reaching 864 degrees Fahrenheit, making life impossible.

The planet Venus may have been habitable for billions of years, Nasa scientists have calculated.

New computer models of the climate history of the second planet from the Sun, show that until around 700 million years ago temperatures ranged from 68F (20C) to 122F (50C), cool enough for liquid water.

In the 1980s, Nasa’s Pioneer Venus mission found hints that the planet once had a shallow ocean, but because it receives far more sunlight than Earth, scientists believed it had quickly evaporated before life could become established.

With no water left on the surface, carbon dioxide rose in the atmosphere, triggering a runaway greenhouse effect that created current conditions.

Today Venus has a crushing carbon dioxide atmosphere 90 times as thick as Earth’s and temperatures at the surface reach 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462C), making life impossible.

But new computer modelling by Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Science suggests that the ocean may have lasted for two to three billion years.

Not only does it suggest that life could have once evolved on Venus, but it opens up new possibilities about where aliens may exist outside of our Solar System.

“Our hypothesis is that Venus may have had a stable climate for billions of years,” said lead researcher Dr Michael Way.

“It is possible that the near-global resurfacing event is responsible for its transformation from an Earth-like climate to the hellish hot-house we see today.

“Our models show that there is a real possibility that Venus could have been habitable and radically different from the Venus we see today.

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Alien ‘Artifacts’ Made By Civilizations From Mars or Venus Could Be Hidden On Earth, NASA Study Suggests

January 8, 2019
ExoNews Editor

by Jasper Hamill December 26, 2018 (metro.co.uk)

• Dozens of NASA space scientists teamed up to explore how our species could detect ‘technosignatures’, ie: the name for pieces of evidence which give away the presence of advanced alien civilizations – radio waves are detected coming from a distant star system, or Dyson Sphere ‘megastructure’ power stations surrounding a star in order to harvest its’ energy, for example.

• A November 28, 2018 NASA report entitled “NASA and the Search for Technosignatures” suggests that the truth about extraterrestrials could be lurking right under our noses. In a new report, scientists suggest that our own planet may be hiding alien ‘artifacts’, some of which may even have been built by extinct civilizations who lived on Mars, Venus or even Earth.

• ‘Because the geological, paleontological, and archaeological records on Earth are so incomplete, it is even possible that the Earth itself hosts such (extraterrestrial) artifacts, although, again, this idea is often conflated with unscientific popular imaginings and science fiction stories about alien visitation, and so must be approached carefully,’ the NASA researchers wrote.

• The report continues, ‘If technosignatures were discovered in the solar system, it would be worth considering whether their origin might not be interstellar. Specifically, since the Earth is home to the only known species capable of interstellar communication and planetary travel (although both technologies remain in their early development), the Earth remains the only known planet fecund enough to promote technological life, and so it or an early, habitable Mars or Venus could even be the origin of such technology.’

• The NASA report noted that ‘Technosignatures in the solar system might come in the form of free-floating probes or structures—either passing through the solar system or in orbit around the Sun or other body—or in the form of structures or other signs of technologies on planetary surfaces.’

• So far, the only potential alien artifact we’ve seen has been ‘Oumuamua’, the first ‘interstellar visitor’ to be observed in our stellar neighborhood after traveling here in 2017 through deep space. Still, most scientists believe its origins are natural rather than artificial. Oumuamua changed direction as it passed the sun, which may have been caused by a natural process called outgassing – although there is a very slight chance this could have been the result of it being steered somehow. (see previous ExoNews article on the Oumuamua visitor here)

You might think that humanity’s best chance of finding alien life involves peering deep into space and analysing faraway galaxies.

But a Nasa study has suggested the truth about extraterrestrials could be lurking right under our noses.

Dozens of space scientists have teamed up to explore how our species could detect ‘technosignatures’, the name for pieces of evidence which give away the presence of advanced alien civilisations.

Some of these tell-tale signs are obvious. For instance, if loads of radio waves are detected coming from a distant star system, then it could be a clue which shows it’s inhabited by intelligent extraterrestrial organisms.

We could also search for alien societies by looking for ‘megastructures’ called Dyson Spheres, which are theoretical power stations built surrounding a star to harvest its energy.

These would be easy to spot because they are likely to be gigantic and block out starlight whenever they pass in front of their sun.

Other technosignatures are harder to identify, such as evidence that a planet has been polluted by heavy industry.

In the new report, scientists also make the fascinating suggestion that our own planet may be hiding alien ‘artefacts’, some of which may even have been built by extinct civilisations which lived on Mars, Venus or even Earth.

‘Because the geological, paleontological, and archaeological records on Earth are so incomplete, it is even possible that the Earth itself hosts such artefacts, although, again, this idea is often conflated with unscientific popular imaginings and science fiction stories about alien visitation, and so must be approached carefully,’ researchers wrote.

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Russiaâ€™s mysterious space program

June 3, 2012
admin

By Kevin W. Smith

Surface of Venus: Credit: Soviet Planetary Exploration Program

You are looking at an actual photograph from the surface of the planet Venus.Â Though obtained from a NASA web page, this is not a NASA photo.Â It is a Soviet era photo.Â Try as you may, you cannot find such a photo made by a NASA spacecraft.Â Why?Â Because NASA has never made a successful landing on Venus with a craft capable of taking photos and transmitting them back to Earth.Â They did make an accidental landing of a probe (Pioneer Venus 1).Â It was accidental because the Pioneer Venus 1 dropped off 4 probes that were not designed to survive all the way down to the surfaceâ€”but one did.Â The others were destroyed by the immense heat and pressure of the atmosphere.Â So, NASA accidentally dropped something on Venus, but the Russians actually landed there.

Not only did the Russians successfully land on Venus, they did it 10 times!Â And that, my friends, is a gigantic mystery.

The Russian space scientists and engineers are among the best in history.Â They were the first to put anything at all into orbit around Earth.Â They were the first to put a man in space, and he was the first man to orbit the Earth.Â They were the first to send spacecraft to the moon.Â They were the first to build a space station and to fly it successfully.Â By the way, it was not a Mir space station.Â It was the Salyut-1 (1971) a prototype for the Almaz spy space station (1973).Â Alamaz was the code name for the spy station run using a Salyut-1 space craft.

So, with all that massive success in space, why do I say it is a mystery that they have landed successfully on Venus ten times?

Well, here is the mystery.

Leaving Earth, Venus is the next planet toward the sun.Â Letâ€™s say it is our next door neighbor on the left.Â Mars is the next planet away from the sun.Â Letâ€™s say it is our next door neighbor to the right.

When leaving the driveway and headed to the left (to Venus), Russia has tremendous success, success NASA has not had, and accomplished what NASA has not even tried.Â When Russia leaves the driveway and heads to the right (to Mars), they have an almost 90% failure rate.Â How can that even be possible?

America is hitchhiking aboard Russian spacecraft in order to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.Â The Russians are still flying in space and NASA is not.Â Russia is flying the Soyuz (Soviet era) spacecraft which is renowned as one of the safest and most reliable spacecraft ever flown.Â Their science and engineering is virtually peerless.Â Â Yet, there is a disturbing and mysterious fact that is inexplicable:Â they can successfully send spacecraft anywhere they wantâ€”except to Mars.

This fact is so glaringly obvious that is impossible to overlook.Â It is so out of step that it rises to the level of extremely suspicious.

Vladimir Putin has grumbled that he thinks this strange fact is due to sabotage.Â He has not stated publically whom he believes the suspect(s) to be, but he has raised the possibility that the Russian space missions to Mars are being purposely sabotaged.

Is such a thing really possible?Â We are talking about decades of Russian attempts to send spacecraft to Mars.Â If the Russian missions to Mars are being sabotaged, we are talking about a decades long operation that has remained unexposed against all odds.Â Whether the ostensible saboteurs are Russian space program insiders, or agents of a foreign government, it is rather a stretch to think such an operation could remain undiscovered over such a long period of time.Â Anything is possible, of course, but everything is not likely.

So what else could account for this strange disparity between the Russian space program to Venus and their program to Mars?Â They can land on Venus just about anytime they want while they canâ€™t even get to Mars.Â Whatâ€™s up with that?

I have no answers or solutions to this mystery, but it is a mystery that certainly has my attention.Â It is a mystery that genuinely merits investigation.

This article may be freely published in any format so long as it is published unedited and contains the author’s link and this copyright notice.

Tag: Venus