Probe peers into Venusian secrets

[OXO]

Probe peers into Venusian secrets

Venus is an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, inside a dense cloud of carbon dioxide (CO2).

But a suite of orbiting instruments is proving its ability to penetrate the thick atmosphere and create a new and dynamic picture of Earth's sister planet.

Scientists at the Division of Planetary Sciences meeting in Pasadena, California, this week said that data streaming from the Venus Express probe had provided unprecedented detail of the Venusian atmosphere and the first-ever peek at its lower strata.

They hope the spacecraft will help answer fundamental questions about the planet's atmospheric composition and dynamics, as well as solve key Venus puzzles: what drives its "super-rotation"; are its volcanoes active; and just what is the strange ultraviolet-absorbing substance swirling at the cloud tops?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6041570.stm

[FLO]

Good find James