# Astronauts on the planet Venus **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 23, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756 "2004-06-23T03:51:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/21 "2004-07-12T10:07:13Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > When a spacecraft contacts another object we have different terms such as: > > [deletia] > > and > > Redeview (I know I muffed that spelling), which seems to mean the ‘landing’ of space craft on a body w/o a substantial gravitational field, such and landing on a asteroid. > Are these terms correct. and what are the others, like a lighter then air craft ‘landing’ in the atmoshpere of Titan? It’s a _rendezvous_, which basically means 2 objects flying in formation. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/22 "2004-07-12T15:26:15Z")
George Adamski laughs at this thread! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/23 "2004-07-12T17:16:28Z")
> [@](#): > > lithiuméion batteries Elves had batteries? I wondered how they lit all those little lamps in Lothlorien! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/24 "2004-07-13T14:28:23Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > If the surface atmospheric pressure is ninety-two times that of Sol-3, doesn’t that mean that it has a liquid surface? No, the temperature is high enough (above the so-called “critical point”) that the atmosphere remains in the gas state. ---
**Author:** ![SuperDuperMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@SuperDuperMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperDuperMan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/25 "2004-07-13T14:40:57Z")
From what I understand, Venus is a pretty dank little hellhole. Then again, if it gets me away from my family Sign Me Up! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/26 "2004-07-13T14:48:22Z")
I don’t know about Venus, but astronauts on Uranus can be quite painful. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/27 "2004-07-13T15:06:46Z")
Be prepared—[Venus](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052104/) is populated by murderous cocktail waitresses and Zsa Zsa Gabor! You might want to try the Moon; that only has [Cat-Women](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045609/). ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/28 "2004-07-13T15:21:01Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Be prepared—[Venus](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052104/) is populated by murderous cocktail waitresses and Zsa Zsa Gabor! > > You might want to try the Moon; that only has [Cat-Women](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045609/). I was always partial to the Fire-Maidens of Jupiter! ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/29 "2015-05-24T05:51:42Z")
Hmmm, been 11 years and no development? Are they not a few materials which could survive on the Venereal (!) surface (besides zombies)? I know tungsten is probably tough enough to survive as is Depleted Uranium. (Admittedly it would be a small lander! And unmanned) What were the Soviet landers made off? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/30 "2015-05-24T08:10:16Z")
One other significant factor against a manned mission is the gravity. Venus is nearly as big as Earth, so leaving Venus will require a big rocket, which has to be assembled on the surface of the planet. Launching a rocket is pretty damn hard here on Earth. Setting that all up on anither planet, especially a hot, corrosive one, is damn near impossible. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/31 "2015-05-24T15:01:28Z")
A little while back NASA put out a conceptual study for a series of robotic and then manned missions exploring the upper atmosphere of Venus. Essentially it would all be done with blimps, at ~50 km where the temperature is only 75° C and the sulfuric acid is much less abundant. [Article here](http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/nasa-study-proposes-airships-cloud-cities-for-venus-exploration), official but rather sparse [NASA project page is here](http://sacd.larc.nasa.gov/branches/space-mission-analysis-branch-smab/smab-projects/havoc/), and a [PDF of the design study is here](http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20150006858.pdf). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/32 "2015-05-24T21:02:08Z")
Perhaps it could be possible to build a lander/rover to investigate Venus. But the challenges are so great versus any possible payback that it’s just not worth investing the money. Now, maybe if someone invents on Earth a pollution free engine that runs on sulfuric acid and there’s a subsequent incredible shortage of the stuff on the planet, maybe THEN someone will consider collecting Venusian H2SO4. I’m not optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/33 "2015-05-24T22:03:18Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Now, maybe if someone invents on Earth a pollution free engine that runs on sulfuric acid and there’s a subsequent incredible shortage of the stuff on the planet, maybe THEN someone will consider collecting Venusian H2SO4. > > I’m not optimistic. I’m certain that wouldn’t be anything like sufficient motive. I’ve heard it said that if there were 24 carat gold bars on our own moon, stacked and ready for collection, it would not be economically feasible for us to go and collect them. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/34 "2015-05-24T22:15:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Mangetout** : > > One other significant factor against a manned mission is the gravity. Venus is nearly as big as Earth, so leaving Venus will require a big rocket, which has to be assembled on the surface of the planet. Nearly as much gravity, and far more atmosphere. So Venus would probably require an even _bigger_ rocket than Earth does. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/35 "2015-05-24T22:33:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nearly as much gravity, and far more atmosphere. So Venus would probably require an even _bigger_ rocket than Earth does. Plus, that atmosphere wants to corrode nearly everything - which adds an order of magnitude to the difficulty of assembling the rocket - not only does the outer skin require resistance, all components that would be exposed during assembly do too. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756/36 "2015-05-25T20:37:57Z")
I do recall reading a fairly recently published science-fiction book\* which had as a small segment a (wo)manned mission to Venus. I do recall that the author described some sort of high-powered laser device which periodically dispersed the build-up of heat in her spacesuit. I don’t remember how the acidic rain or pressure was dealt with though. \*possibly ‘Titan’ by Stephen Baxter, but the wikipedia entry doesn’t mention Venus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astronauts-on-the-planet-venus/251756.md?page=1)