Dr. Sara Seager

And because we don't know how our DNA originated, we don't know which exact DNA-like molecule could be there.

So the whole question of what to look for becomes really tricky.

Well, we have a international consortium that I started and lead, and we call ourselves the Morning Star Missions to Venus.

Missions, plural.

And we envision a series of small focus missions, each building on the one before it, to search for signs of life and eventually life itself.

So it won't be like initially we get there and yay, we found life.

It's kind of a very long journey because we aim to find evidence for organic molecules.

Then next we'd aim to find very specific, complex organic molecules we're looking for.

And if we get far enough along, the end goal in the future is a sample return so that we can bring some of the clouds back to Earth to look at them with our incredibly sophisticated techniques here on Earth.

Well, right now we have a series of planned missions.

And the first mission is called the Rocket Lab Mission to Venus.

And we work in partnership with Rocket Lab.

Right now, I have been responsible for the science team and the instrument, and our instrument is built.

In parallel to this, Rocket Lab has built our entry vehicle.

It's like a little capsule that will be dropped off in the Venus atmosphere.

And this capsule, this is like a small, cheap mission.

It's our first mission, largely privately funded, that will go to Venus.

And this capsule will be dropped off in the atmosphere and will slow down due to its own drag and last for about five minutes in the clouds.

And this capsule has a very special heat shield on it

supplied to us by NASA Ames so that the capsule will not get destroyed as it races through the top part of the Venus atmosphere.