Venusian Airships

[Kaere]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/nasa-ponders-airship-city-above-venus-1.2882387

NASA is floating the idea of a permanent human city above the surface of Venus using blimps so astronauts can study one of the most hostile environments in the solar system.

Called HAVOC – High Altitude Venus Operational Concept — engineers and scientists at the space agency have been studying ways in which a Venus mission would be possible.

“The atmosphere of Venus is an exciting destination for both further scientific study and future human exploration,” aerospace engineer Christopher A. Jones told CNN.

Venus is the closest planet to Earth, about 38 million kilometres, compared with 54.6 million km to Mars. However, it is also highly inhospitable with a mean temperature of 462 degrees Celsius, a cloud layer of sulphuric acid and atmospheric pressure that’s 92 times greater than Earth’s.

Scientists say, however, that just 50 kilometres above the cloud layer are conditions that mimic Earth – pressure is almost the same and so is the gravity and the temperature is about 75 C. With current technology, the astronauts could be outfitted in special suits to withstand the heat.

In previous years, probes have been sent to the surface of Venus, but could only last about two hours.

A short mission to Venus would last 30 days, according to NASA researchers. However, they do envision a longer stay in which there could be a permanent human presence above Venus.

The study proposes a kind of "aeroshell" that would send the astronauts to the planet. During the deceleration, a parachute would deploy, with the aeroshell falling away, to unveil an airship.

In order to study the surface, the astronauts should head outside in a giant open metal basket suspended beneath the airships.

While the actualization of the concept is decades away, NASA scientists say they do hope it comes to fruition.

“[It] would allow us to gain experience having humans live in another world,” said Jones.

[Rockhopper]

Oh Golly Gosh! I'm not sure I'd want to be floating around Venus! No prob. with being cold in a Venusian winter!!

Tim.

[Stirky]

Sounds dangerous!

[Agartha]

I was about to say: can't we spend those billions fixing this planet first? ...but I wouldn't mind going to space.. and if you think about it, men have been looking up to the sky in wonder since the beginning of time.

Nasa is a private company and they are spending money trying to make us (humankind) more advanced in a way, whilst all other companies are killing us and the planet for their own profit.

[Rockhopper]

Agreed Ags. This idea is just that -- an idea. The atmosphere of Venus is mostly Sulphuric Acid vapour and would dissolve almost anything made by man. The surface of it is hot enough to melt lead and tin and close to melting aluminium too.  It would be almost improbable to ever get Venus to a temp that humans could stand. 

As for wasting all that money, well, if the US for example, was to take what they spend on guns and missiles and spend in on helping their own people, there would not be any poverty in that country!

Tim.

[Lenzabi]

Agreed Ags. This idea is just that -- an idea. The atmosphere of Venus is mostly Sulphuric Acid vapour and would dissolve almost anything made by man. The surface of it is hot enough to melt lead and tin and close to melting aluminium too.  It would be almost improbable to ever get Venus to a temp that humans could stand. 

As for wasting all that money, well, if the US for example, was to take what they spend on guns and missiles and spend in on helping their own people, there would not be any poverty in that country!

Tim.

So true Rock! Sadly the Military-Industrial Complex owns the nations along with their partners in Big Oil and others.

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