Will The US Work With Russia? NASA To Discuss Joint Mission To Venus

Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the United States’ relationship with Russia, both nations’ astronauts are teaming up. NASA scientists planned to meet with leaders from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute (IKI) to discuss exploring Venus as part of a mission entitled Venera-D.

“Among the goals that we would like to see if we can accomplish with such a potential partnership is to understand how Venus’ climate operates so as to understand the mechanism that has given rise to the rampant greenhouse effect we see today,” David Senske, co-chair of the U.S. Venera-D Science Definition Team and a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement Friday.

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Though the relationship between the U.S. and Russia is hotly debated, collaboration between both countries space agencies is not unusual. Both Russia and the U.S. work to maintain and operate the International Space Station (ISS) alongside Europe, Japan, Canada and other nations.

NASA and Russia also selected two astronauts, one from each country, in 2013 to spend a year aboard the ISS together. U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko were chosen for the mission.

However, in 2014, NASA announced it would be halting most of its collaboration with Russia due to the country’s actions in the Ukraine. The U.S. had joined much of the international community in denouncing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its army’s actions near Ukraine’s eastern border.

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“Given Russia’s ongoing violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, NASA is suspending the majority of its ongoing engagements with the Russian Federation,” the space agency said in a statement. “NASA and Roscosmos will, however, continue to work together to maintain safe and continuous operation of the International Space Station.”

The hiatus between the two has seemingly been put on hold with the possibility of a joint mission to Venus. The potential exploration would include an orbiter, a lander and the possibility of a solar-powered airship deployed in Venus’ upper atmosphere. The planet is similar to Earth in both composition and size but is incredibly hot thanks to a “runaway greenhouse effect.” Russia is the only nation to successfully land a craft on Venus, and further exploration of the planet might reveal important information about a changing climate back on Earth.