# Is a Venus Rover possible?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-venus-rover-possible/631743>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 17, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-venus-rover-possible/631743 "2012-08-17T03:05:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-venus-rover-possible/631743/21 "2012-08-18T17:55:40Z")

</div>

You know, the airbag system they used on those two Mars probes might make a lot of sense: the bags would protect the probe from the corrosive atmosphere during descent and landing.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-venus-rover-possible/631743/22 "2012-08-18T19:44:58Z")

</div>

> [@namatad](#):
>
> big? would have to be gigantic. the cost and time of moving them would be absurdly high. not even sure we have the technology to actually move a small asteroid, let alone a huge one. All the talk about moving asteroids is about moving tiny asteroids which are already in earth-crossing orbits.
> 
> If we actually moved one even close to size needed, it would be more profitable to move said asteroid closer to earth orbit or into earth orbit.
> 
> toss in the fact the venus’ atmosphere is 90+ times the mass of earth’s atmosphere, the time/mass needed to reduce the atmosphere to more human levels is, well, crazy.

I didn’t really think it would be practical in any sense. The question is about what it would take to strip off some of Venus’ atmosphere. Another way to look at is what kind of moon(s) would Venus have needed to now have a more viable atmosphere for supporting life of any kind.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-venus-rover-possible/631743/23 "2012-08-19T03:07:34Z")

</div>

The problem with Venusian moons would be Venus itself, with its incredibly slow retrograde rotation: a lunar orbit around Venus would be subject to tidal forces that would cause rapid orbital decay, unless, of course, one could fire one of those asteroids into the planet itself to establish a more stable sort of rotation.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-venus-rover-possible/631743/24 "2012-08-19T04:05:21Z")

</div>

No thread about a Venus rover would be complete [without a link to this bit of wondrous 70s camp!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4st0a0gWp0) You’d think the easiest way to destroy it would be to let it get a look at Steve’s ridiculous mustache and it’d die laughing…

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-venus-rover-possible/631743.md?page=1)