UC Riverside astrobiologist Stephen Kane joined efforts to promote two missions to Venus by going to Capitol Hill to advocate for continued congressional funding.

Kane is assisting with two planned NASA missions to Venus that will be the first by the U.S. in over 30 years. He is on the science team for the DAVINCI mission, which will measure gases and other chemical elements in Venus’ atmosphere. He is also collaborating on the VERITAS mission, led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which will allow scientists to create 3D reconstructions of the landscape.

Kane was chosen by both mission teams and the Planetary Society to represent them on Capitol Hill for an advocacy day on Oct. 15. He met with representatives from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies and seven congressional offices.

He spoke about how Venus is critical for understanding planetary evolution, including a possible preview of Earth’s future. He also promoted the importance of U.S. and NASA leadership in planetary missions.

“Venus is our twin planet, that probably once looked a lot like Earth, and yet we know very little about how or when it changed to its current hostile state,” Kane said. “The coming NASA missions will be crucial for revealing how planets like Venus and Earth change with time.”

Originally planned for 2028 to 2030, the missions are expected no sooner than 2031. To keep the missions on track the groups have asked for a budget increase over President Joe Biden’s recommendation and that funding continue uninterrupted.

Kane said he received positive feedback with promises to preserve or increase funding for planetary science.