While both Venus and Mars are neighboring planets of Earth, their atmospheres present stark contrasts. Venus is enveloped in an incredibly dense atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide, which exerts a crushing pressure on its surface—roughly ninety times that of Earth. This thick layer traps solar energy, raising surface temperatures to scorching levels. Conversely, Mars has a very thin atmosphere, with a surface pressure less than one percent of Earth's. Because this sparse atmosphere cannot retain heat, Mars remains a frozen desert. Thus, while a probe landing on Venus is quickly destroyed by the extreme pressure, a spacecraft on Mars faces no such physical compression, though it must withstand freezing cold.
According to the passage, how does the atmospheric pressure on Venus compare to the atmospheric pressure on Mars?
- Venus's atmospheric pressure is immensely greater than Mars's, presenting a physical threat to landing probes that Mars's atmosphere does not.Answer
- BVenus's atmospheric pressure is less than one percent of Earth's, while Mars's pressure is ninety times that of Earth.
- CVenus's atmospheric pressure is completely harmless to spacecraft, whereas Mars's atmospheric pressure instantly crushes landing probes.
- DVenus's atmospheric pressure changes based on its distance from Earth, whereas Mars's pressure remains constant.