Venera 13 was a probe launched by the USSR in 1981, to explore Earth’s “sister planet,” touching down a year later into the harsh atmosphere. The details of the mission were kept under wraps, as it came at a time of incredibly heightened tensions with the US, after their Apollo 11 mission put the first two men on the Moon in 1969. But, 30 years later, Russian scientist Leonid Ksanfomaliti published an article in the journal Solar System Research, claiming snaps collected contained proof of life on Venus.