Manned Venus Flyover

[Matuchkin]

Okay, stepping on the surface of Venus is completely out of the question, so I'm not discussing that.

I'm thinking the best goal to start with is:

a) Glide into the atmosphere in some kind of spaceplane

b) hang around a bit below the cloud layer and get some visuals for a few hours (perhaps drop something like a probe into the atmosphere?)

c) pitch up and go back to mothership.

 

I'm thinking of something like this:

http://imgur.com/a/KKFls

 

I am trying to think of a flight plan for the plane. Here's what I have in mind:

1. Undock from mothership

2. Perform slight retrograde burn. This burn puts periapsis approximately 60km into Venusian atmosphere, where the air pressure is approximately that of Earth. This will give the plane time to slow down before hitting the intense lower atmosphere.

3. Glide into the atmosphere, space-shuttle style (pitching from side to side). Try to stay above 60-70km for as long as possible, until velocity sufficiently lowered.

4. Drop below the sulfuric cloud layer, coast for a few hours.

5. Drop probe into Venus.

6. 1st stage (glider stage) engines activate, plane rises out of atmosphere.

7. Glider stage jettisons, 2nd stage active until orbit.

8. OMS stage allows remainder of plane to dock with mothership.

 

How is this for a basic plan?

Edited September 22, 2016 by Matuchkin

[tater]

Why send people?

[_Augustus_]

Interesting in concept, but pointless...

[Matuchkin]

Just now, tater said:

Why send people?

No idea, just thinking.

[todofwar]

1 hour ago, _Augustus_ said:

Interesting in concept, but pointless...

About as pointful as sending someone to Mars, scientifically speaking

[tater]

8 minutes ago, todofwar said:

About as pointful as sending someone to Mars, scientifically speaking

Yep. How many probes could be sent for the same budget of mass and treasure?

[_Augustus_]

1 hour ago, tater said:

Yep. How many probes could be sent for the same budget of mass and treasure?

Can a probe venture inside a Martian lava tube and have an innate interest in exploring more, previously unknown treasures? No, a robot can only do what it is programmed to do.

Can a probe see a rock and think "oh, that looks weird, let me go look at it"? No.

[Matuchkin]

Just now, _Augustus_ said:

Can a probe venture inside a Martian lava tube and have an innate interest in exploring more, previously unknown treasures? No, a robot can only do what it is programmed to do.

Can a probe see a rock and think "oh, that looks weird, let me go look at it"? No.

Yes, but the guys controlling the probe/rover with 14 minute delayed code inputs can have those feelings.

This is the same as saying "military drones are emotionless robots who can kill anyone unpredictably" when it's all actually the actions of a guy in a trailer in a Nevada base.

Now here's another way to put it: Can a human have six arms, each laden with amazing equipment and sensors that can investigate any grain of earth at an amazing level? Can a human power himself via solar panels, and withstand 200+ days in a cramped cabin without a hitch? Does a probe have the random probability of doing clumsy errors? Does a human have a rock-sampling death laser that he can use to blast aliens- nevermind, that's too much.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Matuchkin

[kerbiloid]

3 hours ago, _Augustus_ said:

Can a probe see a rock and think "oh, that looks weird, let me go look at it"? No.

It can easily detect anomalies like large contrast spots, or spots of regular shapes, or spots moving despite they wouldn't.
That's what they usually call " oh, that looks weird ". In different areas of spectrum.

For such preview mission this looks enough.
That would be later, when they would need an unkept beardy man with geological hammer to go deeper.

5 hours ago, tater said:

How many probes could be sent for the same budget of mass and treasure?

If the project is "let's send a robot", they could send a small robot.
If the project is "let's send spacemen and maybe return them back", the main project will be cancelled, but with the remaining money they could send a big robot. "OK, OK, no crew, let's keep our money and send just a robot".

Edited September 23, 2016 by kerbiloid

[lugge]

I'm really getting tired from the old "Why send humans?", "Whats the point?" stuff.

The thread starter suggested concepts how humans can do on Venus.

It's pointless from a scientific or economic point, yes, sure. But that was not the question and this has been discussed A LOT of times before...

[_Augustus_]

I think this is an interesting concept to explore. Try simulating it in RSS...

[Matuchkin]

5 hours ago, _Augustus_ said:

I think this is an interesting concept to explore. Try simulating it in RSS...

I tried reentering a Delta Glider in Orbiter. It was brutal, which is why I thought up this thread. I'll try it with my RO install once I find out how to get there.