06.05.2007
]Today when NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft flies by Venus en route to Mercury, the craft will shoot a laser beam into Venus' clouds, among other experiments, to learn more about Earth's "evil twin."
June 5, 2007: Picture this: A spaceship swoops in from the void, plunging toward a cloudy planet about the size of Earth. A laser beam lances out from the ship; it probes the planet's clouds, striving to reach the hidden surface below. Meanwhile, back on the craft's home world, scientists perch on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens.
Sounds like science fiction? This is real, and it's happening today.
The spacecraft is MESSENGER, and the planet is Venus. On June 5, 2007, MESSENGER will fly past Venus just 338 km above the planet's surface--and it will shoot a 20 Watt laser into the clouds. [/i]http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007 ... list944250