text: Though the author gives several convinving reasons for studying Venus, perhaps the most influential would be the amount of information we could gain about the past landscape of Venus. In paragraph four, the author discusses that Venus displays several features similar to Earth, meaning it is possible Venus used be a whole lot like Earth. As stated directly in paragraph four, "Long ago, Venus was probably covered largely with oceans and could have supported various forms of life, just like Earth today." Solely based off the information provided in this quote, the author has already begun to convince me learning more about Venus might actually lead to some pretty extraordinary discoveries. What this quote is saying is millions of years ago Venus may have been the planet with the most liveable conditions...instead of Earth. If scientists were able to discover this much, just imagine all the other life forms and food webs that could be uncovered. To reinforce their opinion on Venus potentislly being liveable in the past, the author states, "Furthermore, recall that Venus can cometimes be our nearest option for a planetary visit, a crucial consideration given the long time frames of space travel," at the end of paragraph four. What the author is saying in this quote is at this point, all we have to do is find out how to brave the conditions of Venus. As for travel time, Venus is practically our neighbor, so no worries there.