The head of Russia’s space agency declares Venus a “Russian planet.”

Moscow – If there is life in Venus, it can start learning the Russian language. The boss of Russia’s state space agency called it the “Russian Planet”.

The bold regional claim comes from the background of science Research that suggests that life may be Earth’s celestial neighbor, the second planet from the sun.

Roscosmos leader Dmitry Rogozin, known for his support of unusual scientific ideas and often anti-Western rhetoric, wants Russia to send its own mission to Venus this week, in addition to the already-proposed joint venture with the United States called “Venara-D.”

“We think Venus is a Russian planet, so we should not lag behind,” former Deputy Prime Minister Rogosin told reporters on Tuesday. He noted that the Soviet Union was the “first and only” to land a spacecraft on Venus.

“The spacecraft gathered information about the planet – it’s like hell there,” he said in a comment quoted by the DOS news agency.

The research was published in the journal Monday Natural astronomy Details British and American scientists have discovered phosphine gas in the clouds around Venus, which is considered a possible sign of life on the planet.

Of the atmosphere Friday It is made entirely of carbon dioxide and is considered the hottest planet in our solar system.

The new study renewed public interest in Venus, prompting President Roscosmos to remind the world of the achievements of the former Soviet Union in early space research.

NASA’s Mariner 2 was flown by Venus and became the first spacecraft to measure its extreme surface temperature in 1962. The Soviet Union launched several “Venera” spacecraft, and in 1970 became the first spacecraft to make a successful soft landing on the planet Venora 7. It melted in seconds.

Its successor, Venera 9, took the first image of the Venus surface and only one image to date on the ground.

“The huge gap between the Soviet Union and its rivals in Venus research contributed to the US calling Venus the ‘Soviet planet’, the space agency wrote on it. Website Tuesday.

Shortly after the study was published this week, the Breakthrough Initiative, backed by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, announced that it was funding the study of the possibility of primitive life in the clouds of Venus, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Sarah Caesar. Technology.

Last month, Rogos declared Venus “more interesting than Mars,” suggesting that studying the planet could help scientists understand how to cope with climate change on Earth.