Plan a realistic mission to Venus!

[Pugspaceprogram]

I recently saw a video on the YouTubes and it gave me am idea. Could we go to Venus? What would it take? Let me see your answers and I will post the video at the end of the discussion. It was made with Orbiter 2010.

[SuperFastJellyfish]

Here's a recent discussion on the subject:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/36077-I-m-bored-Let-s-plan-a-manned-Venus-landing

[th3shameless]

ahh venus, my favorite planet . but huh probably a floating base in the cloud tops is the most logical. around 50-60km above the surface is one of the most earth like places in the solar system! the base could probably float on its own oxygen supply too since oxygen acts like helium on venus

[Apollo1391]

well it would certainly be hard but manageable in the next 50 years in my opinion

[Pugspaceprogram]

If i were mission planner, I wouldn't land. Not only because i would remain on earth but because it is essentially earth with a mega dense atmosphere (think eve!) It would take an immense amount of thrust to leave, and then we have to get home. As the atmosphere is 100% toxic, there shouldnt be a base either.

[jwenting]

I'd forgo planets, go for orbital habitats, maybe hollow out some big asteroids, use the material taken out as raw materials for the construction work.

Can put those in orbit around Venus if you want, if there's oxygen in the atmosphere, and use scoopships (yes, I read too much sci fi, but it could work).

[Pugspaceprogram]

I'd forgo planets, go for orbital habitats, maybe hollow out some big asteroids, use the material taken out as raw materials for the construction work.

Can put those in orbit around Venus if you want, if there's oxygen in the atmosphere, and use scoopships (yes, I read too much sci fi, but it could work).

Can't say that ye be wronge

[Vaebn]

Basically you don't want to go there. It's a hellish place. And I haven't checked the other thread but I bet its full of people saying it's a hellish place.

Anything you could do, in pre sexy postscarcity times Is not worth doing versus plain making orbiting habitats in vacuum.

You could do floating cities, because something filled with normal earth atmosphere ends up floating at some point but you'd probably have to bring all that matter from someplace else. And only then even begin to attempt something silly like using cranes with 50km long cables to lower and control remotely controlled automated miners down below. All of which would be triple and quad the size and complexity of a machine on earth because of the shielding they would need. (and we haven't bothered to do something like "automated miners" on earth either).

If Venus is also something like earth, and it looks a lot like it, it's surface is going to be mostly cheapo rocks, just like earth's is, because when planets are at their molten phase all the heavier and valuable stuff sinks in.

So it would basically be just like mining earth, only in a much much more difficult way. Meanwhile, the orbital habitats will be chasing metallic asteroids and laughing all the way to the bank.