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.
@article{arxiv.2208.05570,
title = {Venus Life Finder Missions Motivation and Summary},
author = {Sara Seager and Janusz J. Petkowski and Christopher E. Carr and David H. Grinspoon and Bethany L. Ehlmann and Sarag J. Saikia and Rachana Agrawal and Weston P. Buchanan and Monika U. Weber and Richard French and Pete Klupar and Simon P. Worden and Darrel Baumgardner},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2208.05570},
year = {2022}
}
Comments
Based on the text of the Venus Life Finder Mission Study report (arXiv:2112.05153). Published in Aerospace as a part of the Special Issue "The Search for Signs of Life on Venus: Science Objectives and Mission Designs" (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/aerospace/special_issues/Search_Life_Venus_Science_Objectives_Mission_Designs)