In this article, the author does not do a very good job with explaining why it would be worth pursuing the study of Venus. More was said about the awful climate and the countless risks that would take place rather than the benefits of risking lives and money to learn up close.

Firstly, a lot was said about the extremely dangerous climate on Venus, rather than how we could get around those dangers or why it would benefit us. In paragraph 3, the author says that there are "erupting volcanoes, powerful earthquakes, and frequent lightning strikes". All of these terrifying weather conditions are also met with atmospheric pressure that the author says is 90 times greater than earth's. In the same way, the author tries to argue against this point in paragraph 4 when talking about how it could have supported various forms of life long ago, but thoroughly contradicts himself in paragraph 3 when he states that it could now crush even a submarine and liquefy many metals. The author does not show very strong support as to the solution of getting past the dangerous climate that he describes to be so worthy of our pursuit.

Lastly, the author seems to describe only more risks and flaws in the plan to pursue study on Venus. In paragraph 2, he states, "no spacecraft survived the landing for more than a few hours". Later he goes on to counter this by saying that spacecrafts could hover just above the atmosphere of Venus, but its thick atmosphere and bad climate will prevent explorers from taking photos or actual samples. Some of the main points of visiting other planets is to collect samples and research. But the author even says himself that those things would be prevented, and going to the surface of Venus to attempt research would seriously risk lives.

In conclusion, the author does not do a very good job of convincing one to believe that Venus is worth pursuing. He says himself that the climates and risks are high, but doesn't say much about the benefits of exploring this planet. Yes, it did once look strikingly similar to earth, but that was "long ago", and this is a new time with new risks that exploring Venus brings.