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Venus: The Sci-Fi Planet

In Venus: The Sci-Fi Planet, Professor Brian Cox explains the efforts that Soviet scientists took to land on Venus. During this mission, they collected data about its atmosphere and took the first color photograph of its surface. Learn what makes Venus a planet that has inspired scientists and science fiction writers. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
Video Details
Grades:
6-89-12
Program:
The Planets
Time:
5:04
Subject:
Science
Topic:
Earth and Space Science

Lesson Express

Q: What ideas did people have about Venus before they could explore it?
A: People thought Venus was cloudy, a jungle, and that it might be habitable.

Q: What did we learn about Venus’s atmosphere from the Venera 13 expedition?
A: We learned that the atmosphere was hot (457°C or 854°F), full of carbon dioxide (96.5%), and that it measured 89 Earth atmospheres in terms of pressure.

Q: Why is Venus described as a “vision of hell”?
A: The atmosphere is so hot and barren.

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