# Modern probe to Venus **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507 "2012-11-29T20:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/1 "2012-11-29T20:03:26Z")
Given advances in electronics, engineering, and materials, would it be possible to design a probe that could land on the surface of Mars and last? Not a rover (although that would be cool) but a stable platform with scientific equipment that would not succumb to heat and pressure after an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/2 "2012-11-29T20:07:09Z")
Mars or Venus? [Venera 9’s lander](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_9) operated for at least 53 minutes on the surface of Venus. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/3 "2012-11-29T20:07:28Z")
It’s not clear that there’s much to learn about Venus. The extraordinary conditions seem to be fairly uniform over the surface, and are destructive to any kinds of formations, so it’s hard to say that a lander would tell us much more than fine details on top of what we already know. I mean, yes, there’s certainly interesting things to be learned, but Venus is possibly the most hostile environment in the system, short of the surface of the sun or the deepest “surface” of Jupiter. There’s almost no point in studying it - so many useful and productive things ahead of it that need looking into, like the deep oceans of Europa and the methane cycle of Titan. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/4 "2012-11-29T20:36:38Z")
:smack: I clearly meant Venus. Dang it. And while there might not be a LOT to learn, anything is good. I was just curious. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/5 "2012-11-29T20:51:23Z")
Modern electronics may work against you here, the older style electronics may last longer in such a hot place. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/6 "2012-11-29T20:56:54Z")
I’ve given up hope of any liquid water on Venus, but I’m still curious if there’s any liquid egg nog. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/7 "2012-11-30T01:37:19Z")
I think it would be pretty cool to send a zeppelin type probe to Venus that would float around in the atmosphere. It could be a precursor to our floating space station. [QUOTE=wikipedia] Landis has proposed aerostat habitats followed by floating cities, based on the concept that breathable air (21:79 Oxygen-Nitrogen mixture) is a lifting gas in the dense carbon dioxide atmosphere, with over 60% of the lifting power that helium has on Earth. In effect, a balloon full of human-breathable air would sustain itself and extra weight (such as a colony) in midair. At an altitude of 50 km above Venusian surface, the environment is the most Earth-like in the solar system – a pressure of approximately 1 bar and temperatures in the 0°C–50°C range. Because there is not a significant pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the breathable-air balloon, any rips or tears would cause gases to diffuse at normal atmospheric mixing rates, giving time to repair any such damages. In addition, humans would not require pressurized suits when outside, merely air to breathe, a protection from the acidic rain; and on some occasions low level protection against heat. Alternatively, two-part domes could contain a lifting gas like hydrogen or helium (extractable from the atmosphere) to allow a higher mass density. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/8 "2012-11-30T01:47:00Z")
I asked a [similar question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=480724) a while back. It looks like we could build machines that work at red-hot temperatures, if certain problems with lubrication are solved. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/9 "2012-11-30T01:50:30Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > I think it would be pretty cool to send a zeppelin type probe to Venus that would float around in the atmosphere. It could be a precursor to our floating space station. That was fascinating. But what would be the point? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/10 "2012-11-30T01:53:08Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > That was fascinating. But what would be the point? Because it would be awesome. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/11 "2012-11-30T02:09:16Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > I think it would be pretty cool to send a zeppelin type probe to Venus that would float around in the atmosphere. It could be a precursor to our floating space station. Man, would that ever be one balloon you wouldn’t want to lose lift :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/12 "2012-11-30T05:52:59Z")
Ha, it looks like there was/is a plan ([Venus In\_Situ Explorer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_In-Situ_Explorer)) for a balloon based robotic probe for Venus that looks like all kinds of awesome. > [@April\_R](#): > > That was fascinating. But what would be the point? I was thinking that you might be able to use some sort of ground penetrating radar for better examination of geology or maybe some sort of super high resolution mapping equipment. Maybe a super long tether that would allow you to sample from 20km up. Nothing you couldn’t do with a robot though, and the view for human vision would really suck. “What’s the view like today?” “Well, really smoggy again. Can’t see a damn thing!” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/13 "2012-11-30T06:15:08Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I asked a [similar question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=480724) a while back. It looks like we could build machines that work at red-hot temperatures, if certain problems with lubrication are solved. Hey, let’s keep this G-rated, we’re in GQ! ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-probe-to-venus/642507/14 "2012-11-30T18:47:02Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Man, would that ever be one balloon you wouldn’t want to lose lift :eek: Oh, the humanity!