Episode 599: Flying In The Cloudtops Of Venus. Balloons, Airships And Airplanes For Venus

The exploration of Venus has been mainly about getting down to the surface of the planet. The Soviet Union sacrificed lander after lander to discover just how extreme the conditions are down there on the ground.

But higher up, among the clouds, the climate on Venus is surprisingly Earthlike in temperature and pressure, and there have been some fascinating ideas for robotic and human explorers to fly the skies of Venus, to help understand our evil twin planet.

Let’s take a look at them.

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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected]

Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw

Chad Weber - [email protected]

References:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/in-depth/

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/venusfact.html

http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Acid_clouds_and_lightning

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/

https://progearthplanetsci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40645-018-0181-x

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/2197/aerial-platforms-for-the-scientific-exploration-of-venus/

https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/venus-20070827.html

https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/handle/2014/44535/13-5079_A1b.pdf?sequence=1

https://unmanned-aerial.com/nasa-taps-black-swift-to-develop-uas-for-studying-venus

https://www.universetoday.com/144045/stingray-glider-to-explore-the-cloudtops-of-venus/

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/meetings/STIM/presentations/Polidan_VAMP%20for%20STIM%20Meeting%20Jan%202013%20-%20Final%20Approved.pdf

https://sacd.larc.nasa.gov/smab/havoc/