In "The Challenge of Exploring Venus," the author suggests that studying Venus is a worthy pursuit despite the dangers it presents. Often referred to as Earth's "twin," Venus is the closest planet to Earth in terms of density and size, and occasionally the closest in distance too. Astronomers are fascinated by Venus because it may well once have been the most Earth-like planet in our solar system. For years and years NASA has been trying to study Venus and despite their pursuits they have failed because of the risks that have occured. Venus should still be studied despite the dangers it presents because one day when Earth becomes overpopulated Venus could possibly be our only option due to how similar the planets are, our travels should go beyond Earth, and although it is dangerous it still needs to be studied.

Years from now Earth will become overpopulated and might be inhapitable; therefore, Venus could be our only option. In the article it says that, "Long ago, Venus was probably covered largely with oceans and could have supported various forms of life just like Earth. Today, Venus still has some features that are analogous to those on earth. The planet has a surface of rockky sediment and includes familiar features such as valleys, mountains, and craters. Furthermore, recall that Venus can sometimes be our nearest option for a planetay visit, a crucial consideration given the long time frames of space travel." Venus should still be studied due to how similar it is to Earth. Solar power would be plentiful, and radiation would not exceed Earth levels. Not easy condtions, but survivable for humans.

Our travels must go beyond Earth;although, it has been challenging to study Venus, there will always be risks that come along with studying new things; such as, the planets in our solar system. In the text it states, "Our travels on Earth and beyond should not be limited by dangers and doubts but should be expanded to meet the very edges of imagination and innovation." Striving to meet the challenge presented by Venus has no value, not only because of the insight to be gained on the planet itself, but also because human curiousity will likely lead us into many equally intimidating endeavors.

Numerous factors contribute to Venus's reputation as a challenging planet for humans to study, despite its proximity to us. There has been numerous spacecraft sent to land on this cloud-draped world. Although each previous mission was unmanned and no spacecraft survived the landing for more than a few hours does not mean that Venus should no longer be studied. Any planet will have their own dangers, causing there to be obsticles in our path of researching a potential, habitable planet.

Studying Venus will come will dangers and risks; but, our planet got this far because the people in it never gave up on pursuing a new study even if it had dangers of it's own. Venus should still be studied because our travels should go beyond earth regardless of the dangers, one day Earth won't be habitable and it's sister planet will be our only option, and new studies will come with their dangers they still need to be studied.      