This illustration of the great corona of Quetzalpetlatl in Venus’ southern hemisphere shows active volcanism and a subduction zone, where Earth’s crust is plunging toward the planet’s interior. A new study suggests that coronas reveal places where active geology is shaping Venus’ surface.
The stars above and on Earth aligned as an inspiring message and lyrics from hip-hop artist Missy Elliott’s song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” were beamed to Venus via NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California sent the transmission at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12.
As the largest and most sensitive telecommunications service in NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, DSN features a set of giant radio antennas that allow missions to track, send commands, and receive scientific data from spacecraft venturing to the Moon and beyond. To date, the system has transmitted only one other song in spacemaking Elliott’s song’s transmission a first for hip-hop and NASA.
“Space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art are both about pushing the envelope,” said Brittany Brown, director of the digital and technology division in the communications office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who initially approached Missy’s team with ideas for a collaboration with the agency. “Missy has a history of incorporating space-centric stories and futuristic visuals into her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something extraordinary feels right.”
The song traveled approximately 254 million kilometers from Earth to Venus, the artist’s favorite planet. Transmitted at the speed of light, the radio signal took about 14 minutes to reach the planet. The transmission was made by the 34-meter-wide radio dish of Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13), located at DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California. Coincidentally, DSS-13 is also nicknamed Venus.
Elliott’s musical career began over 30 years ago, and the DSN has been communicating with spacecraft for over 60 years. Today, thanks to the network, Elliott’s music has traveled far beyond his Earthly fans to another world.
“I still can’t believe I’m leaving this world with NASA via the Deep Space Network as ‘The Rain’ (Supa Dupa Fly) becomes the first hip-hop song to be transmitted into space!” Elliott said. “I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment and I’m so honored to have the opportunity to share my art and message with the universe!”
Two NASA missions, selected in 2021, will explore Venus and return data to Earth using the DSN. DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), operated from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is scheduled to launch no earlier than 2029. VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), launched no earlier than 2031, is operated from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. NASA and the DSN are also partnering on the European Space Agency’s Envision mission to Venus. A team at JPL is developing the spacecraft’s Venus Synthetic Aperture Radar (VenSAR).
In operation since 1963, NASA’s SCaN DSN consists of three complexes spaced equidistant from each other (approximately 120 degrees longitude) around the planet. The ground stations are located in Goldstone, California; Madrid; and Canberra, Australia.
The Deep Space Network is managed by JPL for the SCaN program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate, based at NASA Headquarters.
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