Number 137 (Story #3), July 19, 1993 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein NEAR-INFRARED IMAGES OF VENUS reveal that the lowlands are hotter by 100 K than the highlands and that the temperature above the surface falls off with altitude at a rate of 8 K/km. The IR measurements of Venus's nightside were recorded in February 1990 by the Galileo spacecraft on its complicated trip toward Jupiter. In a way the infrared studies at Venus serve as a rehearsal for the more thorough IR surveys to be conducted at Jupiter and may also help scientists planning the future (ca. 1997) Cassini mission to Saturn's moon Titan. (Science News, 10 July 1993.)