The next planetary destination for humans is often considered to be Mars. As the most Earth-like world in our solar system, Mars is being developed by NASA to get humans there. But should we aim for Mars? Would there be another planet in our solar system that we could easily travel to? There is an argument to be made that humanity should attempt to visit the planet Venus, and there are some good reasons why this should be the case. Here are five reasons. 

Earth's closest neighbor is Venus

In comparison to Mars, Venus is much closer to Earth. The average distance between Mars and Earth is 140 million miles (225 million kilometers).

Conversely, the average distance between Earth and Venus is 38 million miles (61 million kilometers). There are 102 million miles of distance between Venus and Earth, so if you were to reach Venus, it would take you much less time than if you reached Mars. 

Earth and Venus are almost the same sizes

This planet is roughly 90% the size of Earth, so it is the closest planet to our home planet in terms of size.

Furthermore, it is 80% the mass of Earth, so you would only be experiencing a slightly weaker gravitational pull than we do on Earth, which would make it the closest planet to us in mass. Humans would not have to experience any issues resulting from low gravity on Mars, unlike on other planets. 

Earth-like upper atmosphere

Humans can survive in Venus' upper atmosphere even if they cannot directly land on its surface. Venus' upper atmosphere offers conditions that are very similar to the conditions on Earth. From 30 to 37 miles (50 to 60 kilometers) above its surface, it is possible to survive.

The temperature on the surface of Venus ranges from 80 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 37 degrees Celsius), and the atmospheric pressure is similar to that on Earth. In addition, the upper atmosphere is nearly identical in composition to the atmosphere of the Earth.

It is estimated that 78% of the gases in the upper atmosphere of Venus are nitrogen, and 21% are oxygen. Humans could probably survive in the upper atmosphere of Venus without any protection at all. Compared to what you'll find on Mars, these conditions are much more like those of the Earth. 

Increased solar power

The sun is much closer to Venus than it is to Mars, which means that any device that uses solar power will have much more access to it.

Solar power is extensively used in space travel, and any mission to Venus would rely heavily on the sun's energy as well. There would not be a shortage of solar energy in the upper layers of Venus's atmosphere, which would give humans access to a tremendous amount of power. 

Venus Is Full Of Mysteries

Our knowledge of Mars is much greater than our knowledge of Venus. As far as the solar system is concerned, Mars is by far the most studied planet in the system other than Earth.

The fact that much of Venus remains a mystery makes me wonder how much we could learn about it if we had a colony set up in its upper atmosphere. In the future, we could be able to gain the same level of knowledge about Venus as we do about Mars.