Venus is the second planet in the solar system from the sun that precedes Earth in the planetary order. This planet is often called Earth's "twin" and the "Evening Star" of the universe because of its brightness and relative similarity to the Earth. In the article, "The Challenge of Exploring Venus," the author presents facts and figures that one could use to determine whether studying Venus would be an advantageous pursuit even though it would not be very safe. The author focuses more on the drawbacks of exploring Venus, hence the title of this work. The author does not strongly support the idea that studying Venus is a worthy pursuit due to his extensive reasearch on its toxic living conditions but does acknowledge the benefits of its accessibility from Earth.

Compared to Earth, the author has found that Venus in less less survivable for humans. In the early years of space industry, numerous spacecraft have embarked on missions to the planet, but they were not able to return home. Unlike Earth, Venus has an atmosphere that is "almost 97percent carbon dioxide" with a surface temperature averaging "over 800 degrees Fahrenheit" and an "atmospheric pressure [that] is 90 times greater than what we experience on our own planet"(Paragraph 3). Due to these extreme differences in temperature, pressure, and air content, Venus would be fairly inhospitable for humans. Usually when NASA launches missions to other planets they are trying to find alternatives habitats for the human race in the event that they cannot survive on Earth. If humans will not be able to withstand the conditions of Venus it is no longer a good option; therefore, it is not worth looking into since the author provides evidence that Venus would not be a useful living environment in the future.

However, the author has also found that studying Venus could be beneficial considering its proximity and similar geographical features to Earth. The Earth comes right after Venus in the solar system, making it fairly close given the long time frame of space travel. Astronomers have discovered that it was also previoulsly one of the "most Earth-like [planets]" as it "was probably covered largely with oceans and could have supported various forms of life" (Paragraph 4). Venus also "has a surface of rocky sediment and includes familiar features such as valleys, mountains, and craters" (Paragraph 4). In the event that Venus became a viable option for humans to inhabit when Earth collapses (as mentioned earlier), humans would have already been exposed to some of the landscape there. Although this would make Venus more assimilable, its similarity to Earth does not outweigh the dangers that still come with the planet being an unknown land changing from its previous state. With this evidence the author provides an advantage to exploring Venus, but it does not hold up against the established points about Venus' overall uninhabitability.

Throughtout the article, "The Challenge of Exploring Venus," the author presents infomation for exploring Venus being both beneficial and harmful, but he elaborates more on the reasons pointing to the dangers that Venus poses. Compared to current conditions of Earth, Venus does not possess the necessary qualities that would make it a valuable reserve for potentially sustaining human life forms. The author is better able to address the disadvantages of studying Venus because of the extensive research revealing the planet's present volatile state instead of benefits from its similarity to Earth. Therefore, the author fails to thoroughly prove Venus' worthiness of exploration.