Who knew that a planet referred to as Earth's "twin" could possibly provide so many unknowns to humans? Venus is the second planet in our solar system and is the "closest planet to Earth in terms of density and size, and occasionally the closest in distance too". Venus has a more harsh environment than Earth. With a surface temperature of over 800 degrees, and a thick atmosphere of nearly 97 percent carbon, Venus is not tolerable for humans. Despite these presented dangers, the author of the article suggests that studying Venus is worth the risks.

The author of the article mentions clearly in paragraph three the intolerable living conditions of the planet Venus. Although the author has knowledge of these dangers, they claim that studying the Earth-like planet is worth it. In order to back up their claim, the author provides facts in the texts to convince the reader of the following: "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." This excerpt for example, may cause the reader to make inferences about other similarities between Earth and Venus, and would spark more interest in learning about Venus.

In addition to similar physical features, the author mentions how Venus is "our nearest option for planetary visit, a crucial consideration given the long time frames of space travel." This is a very vital fact, and significantly backs up the authors claim. Many planets and stars are several hundred light years away, making space travel and new discoveries by humans difficult. The closeness of Venus would allow humans to visit Venus, if there was a safe way to get there.

Leading off of the previous statement, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been formulating a solution to "the hostile conditions on the surface of Venus... Imagine a blimp-like vehicle hovering 30 or so miles above the roiling Venusian landscape". This would allow scientist to get extremely close to the surface of Venus, yet not close enough to gather samples from the planet itself.

The author of the article "The Challenge of Exploring Venus" suggests that studying Venus is a worthy pursuit despite the dangers it presents. The author was able to effectively support the idea that studying Venus is worth the risk, as it is the nearest planet to visit, as well as the idea of a blimp-like vehicle allowing close access to the planet to make new scientific discoveries. Despite the dangerous temperatures, and atmosphere composed of nearly 97 percent carbon dioxide, the author provided many examples as to why studying Venus is worth the risk to make new discoveries, and gather beneficial information about Earth's so- called "twin".