SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 9. 1982
B 3
Mariner II May Bring Answers to Some Questions About Universe
By GERALD S. SNYDER
United Press International
New York UPI) Beneath
the dense clouds surrounding
a mysterious planet millions
of miles from Earth may lie
key answers to man's ques
tions about how the universe
was created and how life
evolved.
OCEAN OF SELTZER WATER In the theory advanced
Drawing at right illustrates most popular theory about thn
surface of Venus advanced by Astronomer Carl Sagan
that the planet is a silent, sweltering desert world. Petri
fied rocks heated by 600 degree Fahrenheit temperatures
do the lifeless terrain. The sun is visible only as a faint
flow through the wind-free clouds. (UPI)
by Scientists F. L. Whipple and D. H. Mcnzel, the surface
of Venus is covered with an ocean of seltzer water, car
bonated by the high carbon dioxide content in the atmos
phere. At left is artist's concept of this view of Venus,
showing water-filled clouds looming menacingly over the
wind-swept, ocean with no sign of terrain anywhere.
The answers, a prominent :
space physicist said, may be '
found in the vicinity of Venus
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the Earths sister planet
now being approached by
America's Mariner II space
craft. The Mariner and subse
quent space probes, he said,
may cut through a near in
finity of space and time to ex
plain some of the most basic
questions man has asked
since he first became curious
about his universe.
More of A Puzzler
Because of the cloud-like
atmosphere which surrounds
Venus, it has been more of a
puzzler to man than the
moon and Mars. For that rea
son, scientists the world
around anxiously await De
cember when the recently
launched Mariner hopefully
will come within 10,000 miles
of Venus.
Is there life on Venus? Is it
covered by a vast swamp
land? Or an ocean? Or
swirling dust bowl? Or, as is
now mostly commonly believ
ed, a fiercely hot, moistureless
desert?
Mariner may reveal, at
least in part, some of the
answers.
Dr. Robert Jastrow, the
brilliant, 37-ycar-o 1 d
physicist who heads the
Goddard institute for space
studies here, says man now
knows little about Venus.
If it were time to launch a
manned exploration, he
said, scientists would not
know whether to send a
plant scientist, a minerolo
gist, a petroleum geologist
or even a deep sea diver.
The space institute, a sub
sidiary of the Goddard
spate flight center operated
by the National Aeronautics
and Space administration,
is one of the scientific
agencies which is carrying
out basic research into the
mysteries of the universe.
Dr. Jastrow said that
some of the answers sup
plied by Mariner II and its
space - voyaging successors
may solve the mysteries of
life itself.
Remarkable Effort
"The attack on these
mysteries," Dr. Jastrow
said, "represents a remark
able effort to roll back the
4i billion year history of
the solar system and un
ravel the tangled complex
events accompanying the
birlh of planets."
If Mariner brings back
any information about life
in space, he said, it could
have a profound effect on
medical research and other
fundamental problems of
science.
"Mariner II is the most
sophisticated and complex
interplanetary spacecraft
produced by anyone to my
KEY ANSWERS UNDER CLOUDS Beneath the dense
clouds surrounding the planet Venus, millions of miles
from earth, may lie key answers to man's questions about
how the universe was created and how life evolved. These
are two artist's concepts of what sort of atmosphere might
be found on Venus the earth's sister planet, as it is ap
proached by America's Mariner II spacecraft. Discarded
at beginning of 20lh century was once-popular view that
Venus is a swamp-covered planet inhabited by the same
kind of primitive beasts which roamed the earth 500 mil
lions years ago, left. The theory is in complete disrepute
today, owing to the belief that no life of any kind can
exist on blistering hot surface of the planet. Scientists
have concluded that the temperatures on Venus range as
high as 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Drawing as right presents
literally the dimmest view into the nature of the Venus
surface, namely the belief that the terrain is a vast, dust
shrouded desert absolutely impervious to sunlight and with
high winds swirling dust particles through the air. (UPI)
knowledge," Dr. Jastrow
said. "But even so, it is
only a preliminary attack
on the investigation into
Venus."
Little is known for certain
about the earth's nearest
planetary neighbor, the be
spectacled physicist acknowl
edged, but scientists believe
this to be correct:
Venus is about I ho same
size as the earth (Venus 7,800
miles in diameter, the Earth
7,926) and the mass and gravi
tational field of the two plan
ets arc similar.
Agree On Little Else
Venus' atmosphere con
tains carbon dioxide and ni
trogen but little free oxygen
or water vapor. The surface
temperature is thought to be
about 600 degree Fahrenheit
an impossible heat for any
kind of life.
Scientists agree on lilllc
else about the planet. The
state of Venus' cloud-con
cealed surface is one of the
greatest mysteries.
The most popular theory,
Dr. Jastrow said, is that of
Astronomer Carl Sagan. He
believes the planet is a silent,
sweltering desert world
where petrified rocks heated
by 600 degree temperatures
dot the lifeless terrain. The
sun is visible only as a faint
glow through opaque, wind
free clouds.
Scientisls F. L. Whipple
and D. H. Mcnzel advance the
theory that Venus is covered
by an ocean of seltzer water,
carbonated by the high car
bon dioxide content in the
atmosphere. In their concep
tion, water filled clouds loom
menacingly over the wind
swept ocean with no signs of
land or life. Another scientist
thinks the ocean may be pe
troleum covered.
The dimmest view of Venus
in terms of the possibility of
life is that of another school
of scientists who picture the
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planet as a huRe dust bowl.
The terrain, they think, is a
vast, dust-shrouded desert im
pervious to sunlight and with
winds swirling dust particles
through the air.
A once-popular theory, gen
erally discarded at the begin
ning of the 2ftth century, was
that Venus is a swamp-covered
planet inhabited by the
same kind of primitive beasts
which roamed the Earth some
500 million years ago. The ac
ceptance of the newer theory
that Venus' surface tempera
ture is 600 degrees virtually
eliminated the possibility of
Earth-like life.
Venus, in all probability,
is a world where life is out
of the question. But scien
tisls have not ruled out the
possibility of some sort of
iife lower than lhat which
exists on Earth.
It has been estimated
that there are at least 100
billion planets in the
Earth's galaxy and there
may be 100 billion galaxies
in the universe. Scientisls
doubt that in such vaslncss
Earth is the only habitable
planet.
The Mariner shot may re
veal whether life is possible
on Venus. Subsequent
probes deep into space may
open similar secrets about
Mars and other known
planets.
The Mariner spacecraft's
scientific mission may sub
stantiate one or more of
Ihc various theories about
the makeup of Venus' sur
face, or it may produce a
new one altogether.
An instrument called a
microwave radiometer
should help to solve these
two vital questions: What.,
is Venus' atmosphere like
and what is the tempera
ture at its surface?
Another thing Mariner
may discover is whether
Venus is surrounded by
cosmic dust, possibly left
behind during the forma
tion of the solar system
billions of years ago.
Such questions need to be
answered before man can
safely venture into the
planet's environs.
In its 180.200.000-mile
trip to the vicinity of Ve
nus, Mariner won't dis
cover the answers to all of
these questions. But, if all
goes well and the vehicle
comes close to the planet
during the second week of
December, man will have
made his biggest break
through in the exploration
nf the solar system.
The data collected so far
ab'iut Venus has been galh
errrt at an awesome distance.
When the planet is at Its near
rt spot to earth, it still is
2H million miles away, and
scientists have been unable to
.see through the white, cloud
likp mays that permanently
veils it.
"This." Dr. Jaslrnw said,
"is one of the main reasons
for the confused state of
knowledge regarding the
structure of the atmosphere
of Venus."
Viewed through a tele
scope, Venus does not show
the sharp, well-defined pro
file of the moon or Mars. At
times, bright patches have
been seen and one theory,
generally discredited, is that
they are mountain peaks
showing through breaks In
the heavy asmosphcre.
Mariner may find out
whether there are any breaks
in the atmosphere and, if so,
how much heat escapes into
space.
"We are still in the Model T
era of scientific investigation
of the moon and planets," Dr.
Jastrow said.
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