News
Mars has competition from Venus after new study shows signs of life
NASA and SpaceX are simultaneously planning their trips to Mars and the Moon, but a recent study published in Nature Astronomy has brought a different planet into the running for a new near-term exploration mission: Venus.
A team of scientists led by Dr. Jane Graeves of Cardiff University in the UK just announced the discovery of phosphine in the clouds of Venus. This rare molecule is made either industrially or as a byproduct of microbes that live in oxygen-free environments, meaning there’s serious evidence that life may exist on our sister planet.
“This was an experiment made out of pure curiosity, really,” Dr. Graeves detailed to the Royal Astronomical Society. “I thought we’d just be able to rule out extreme scenarios, like the clouds being stuffed full of organisms. When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venus’ spectrum, it was a shock!”
With NASA’s 2020 Mars Rover Perseverance on its way to do some astrobiological science on our red neighbor, this new finding on Venus looks to now have some high-level advocates for prioritized exploration.
“Life on Venus? The discovery of phosphine, a byproduct of anaerobic biology, is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted about the news shortly after its publication. “About 10 years ago NASA discovered microbial life at 120,000ft in Earth’s upper atmosphere. It’s time to prioritize Venus.”
https://twitter.com/JimBridenstine/status/1305598182571810822
Planetary scientist Paul Byrne of North Carolina State University echoed this same sentiment in a quote published by The New York Times. “If this planet is active and is producing phosphine, and there is something that’s making it in the Venus atmosphere, then by God almighty, forget this Mars nonsense,” Byrne opined. “We need a lander, an orbiter, we need a program.”
Similar to thinking about Mars’ ancient past being filled with more Earth-like components such as water bodies (or perhaps not), Venus is thought to have been the home to lakes, rivers, and oceans before a runaway greenhouse effect made it into the hellish landscape it is today. This thinking has partly lead to speculation about the possibility of microbes migrating or developing in the clouds of the planet as ‘aerial’ life where temperatures are much more Earth-like, albeit very acidic. “Finding phosphine on Venus was an unexpected bonus! The discovery raises many questions, such as how any organisms could survive. On Earth, some microbes can cope with up to about 5% of acid in their environment – but the clouds of Venus are almost entirely made of acid,” commented team member Dr. Clara Sousa Silva of MIT.
For planetary science enthusiasts, of course, the idea of looking for life or even a new home for humans in the clouds of Venus isn’t new. Astrobiologist David Grinspoon, for one, has been advocating for the planet’s cause for quite some time. “Venus, this planet where I’ve been proposing for decades that there could be a biosphere in the clouds,” he exclaimed in a recent video chat about the discovery. “I mean, Venus is a place we do not associate with extraterrestrial life… It’s so hot, and so dry, the pressure’s so huge…we think life is gonna be anywhere but Venus. But interestingly if you go 30 miles up into the clouds, it’s rather comfortable in the sense that it’s sort of like room temperature [and pressure] in the room you’re in right now.”
The discovery of phosphine on Venus is also exciting for exoplanet hunting endeavors, i.e., looking for signs of life on planets outside our solar system. “It’s very exciting because phosphine is a gas that should not exist in an atmosphere like Venus’,” Grinspoon explained. “It stands out as an anomaly… Not only that, phosphine has been previously suggested as a very good biosignature that we might find on an exoplanet – a gas that’s made by life. It’s not easy to make in non-biological ways.”
A renewed call for Venusian exploration is already ready to be answered by a few scientists and groups, one notable example being startup launch provider Rocket Lab. As a rocket company focused on dedicated missions for small payloads, Rocket Lab stands as a ready and willing partner for any organization looking to gather more data from Venus directly. In fact, CEO Peter Beck already has plans in the works for the planet most symbolically synonymous with romance.
“I’m madly in love with Venus,” Beck said on August 5th this year during a live streamed company update. “I’m working very hard to put together a private mission to go to Venus in 2023… At the very least, I think it’s a needle-mover even for just a private mission to try and go do something interplanetary. That sends a message to the rest of the world that, ‘Hey, look — we can do these things privately.’”
Another notable mission that’s relevant to Beck and Rocket Lab’s goals for small payload missions to interplanetary destinations was the Mars Cube One companions of NASA’s InSight lander launched in 2018. After traveling the the red planet with the lander, the twin cube satellites were able to send back data and a photo of Mars to Earth. This proved that tiny affordable spacecraft could be used for some serious deep-space science. Perhaps one of the biggest discoveries in our solar system of late could be followed up by an itty bitty mission (respectively)?
You can watch Dr. Jane Greaves, explain the discovery on Venus in detail:
Investor's Corner
Tesla investor Calpers opposes Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award
Musk’s 2025 pay plan will be decided at Tesla’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, which will be held on November 6 in Giga Texas.
One of the United States’ largest pension funds, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (Calpers), has stated that it will be voting against Elon Musk’s 2025 Tesla CEO performance award.
Musk’s 2025 pay plan will be decided at Tesla’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, which will be held on November 6 in Giga Texas. Company executives have stated that the upcoming vote will decide Tesla’s fate in the years to come.
Why Calpers opposes Musk’s 2025 performance award
In a statement shared with Bloomberg News, a Calpers spokesperson criticized the scale of Musk’s proposed deal. Calpers currently holds about 5 million Tesla shares, giving its stance meaningful influence among institutional investors.
“The CEO pay package proposed by Tesla is larger than pay packages for CEOs in comparable companies by many orders of magnitude. It would also further concentrate power in a single shareholder,” the spokesperson stated.
This is not the first time Calpers has opposed a major Musk pay deal. The fund previously voted against a $56 billion package proposed for Musk and criticized the CEO’s 2018 performance-based plan, which was perceived as unrealistic due to its ambitious nature at the time. Musk’s 2018 pay plan was later struck down by a Delaware court, though Tesla is currently appealing the decision.
Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award
While Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award will result in him becoming a trillionaire, he would not be able to receive any compensation from Tesla unless aggressive operational and financial targets are met. For Musk to receive his full compensation, for example, he would have to grow Tesla’s market cap from today’s $1.1 trillion to $8.5 trillion, effectively making it the world’s most valuable company by a mile.
Musk has also maintained that his 2025 performance award is not about compensation. It’s about his controlling stake at Tesla. “If I can just get kicked out in the future by activist shareholder advisory firms who don’t even own Tesla shares themselves, I’m not comfortable with that future,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
News
Tesla Cybercab is heading to China’s import expo
The event will take place from November 5–10 at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center.
Tesla will make its return to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) this November, marking its first appearance at the event since 2022. The U.S. electric vehicle maker confirmed it will showcase its highly anticipated Cybercab, which will make its Asia-Pacific debut during the event.
The expo will take place from November 5–10 at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center.
Tesla Cybercab in China
Tesla announced its participation in the event on its official Weibo account. As per the electric vehicle maker, it would be occupying Booth A3-03 in Hall 2.1 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. As noted in a CNEV Post report, the Cybercab, the company’s dedicated autonomous two-seater Robotaxi, will be making its Asia-Pacific debut at the CIIE as well.
The company shared a graphic on Chinese social media which showed an image featuring several Tesla products, such as the Cybercab, Optimus, and Megapack batteries. The graphic also featured a building that read “Master Plan Part IV.”
Tesla’s momentum in China
Tesla’s return comes after skipping the event last year. Interestingly enough, Tesla attended the event from 2018 all the way to 2023. Tesla’s return to the CIIE then aligns with the company’s efforts to attract consumer interest in the world’s most competitive electric vehicle market.
The Cybercab’s presence in the event could suggest that Tesla might be interested in bringing its Robotaxi to the country. This is quite interesting as China is already home to several autonomous ride-hailing services, though Tesla’s pure vision approach, which focuses on artificial intelligence and cameras, is quite unique. So far, Tesla has only rolled out its autonomous ride-hailing services in Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area, California.
News
Tesla Semi factory looks nearly complete
Based on recent images taken of the facility, it appears that the Semi’s initial production might be right on schedule.
The Tesla Semi factory looks like it is nearing completion. Based on recent images taken of the facility, it appears that the Semi’s initial production might be right on schedule.
This was, at least, as per recent observations from a veteran Tesla watcher who has long been chronicling the progress of the facility.
Tesla Semi factory today
As per longtime Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane, the Class 8 all-electric truck’s factory in Nevada looks almost completed. The facility’s exterior looks finished, which suggests that much of the work being done today is likely focused on the factory’s interior and equipment.
This was highlighted in recent photos taken by the drone operator, which show that the facility’s parking lots are now filled with vehicles. A photo taken before dawn also highlighted just how refined the factory has become over the past months. Needless to say, it appears that the factory is all but ready to start the initial production of the Tesla Semi.
Deliveries and targets
Tesla has stated that the Semi factory will start producing the Class 8 all-electric truck by 2026. This was stressed by Elon Musk in a previous comment on X, when he stated that “Tesla Semi will be in volume production next year.” Once ramped, the facility will be capable of producing about 50,000 Tesla Semi units annually. This should help the Semi disrupt and potentially saturate the United States’ transport sector.
Progress in the Tesla Semi factory has been notable in the past months. Just a few months ago, drone footage of the site revealed that Tesla was shipping extremely large production equipment into the facility. These included what appeared to be a gigantic stamping machine that was so large and heavy that it was shipped to the Semi factory using two diesel trucks and a triple trailer.
Tesla investor Calpers opposes Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award
Tesla Cybercab is heading to China’s import expo
Tesla Semi factory looks nearly complete
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